Texas will challenge a recent court ruling that dismissed a felony charge against former Gov. Rick Perry, who is now a Republican candidate for president.
According to
The Texas Tribune, the Office of the State Prosecuting Attorney will appeal the decision. The Texas 3rd Court of Appeals
threw out a felony charge of coercion of a public servant last month, leaving another felony charge — abuse of official power — left.
State Prosecuting Attorney Lisa McMinn said her office will appeal the 3rd Court of Appeals decision.
"We're just defending the statute that the 3rd Court of Appeals struck as unconstitutional," McMinn said, according to the Tribune.
Perry was indicted on both charges last August.
Perry says the case against him is politically motivated, but the trial judge repeatedly refused to toss it on constitutional grounds, prompting the appeal.
The charges stem from Perry publicly threatening, and then exercising, a veto of state funding for public corruption prosecutors after the head of that unit was convicted of drunken driving.
Perry, who ran unsuccessfully for president in 2012, served as Texas governor from 2000-2015. His current presidential campaign looks to be headed the wrong direction,
with his staff now working for free because his fundraising has dried up.
The former governor, who is
well behind several of his opponents in polling, has
vowed to push forward with his campaign despite
its grim outlook.
The Associate Press contributed to this report.
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