DeLay Delays the Reckoning

Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX) has gotten the judge to recuse himself from the trial into whether DeLay broke financing laws and violated Texas campaign finance laws.

In a courtroom victory for Rep. Tom Delay, the judge in the campaign-finance case against the former House Republican leader was removed Tuesday because of his donations to Democratic candidates and causes.

A semi-retired judge who was called in to hear the dispute, C.W. Bud Duncan, ruled in Delay's favor without comment. Duncan ordered the appointment of a new judge to preside over the case.

The ruling came after a hearing in which Delay's attorneys argued that state District Judge Bob Perkins' political donations created the appearance of bias. Perkins, a Democrat, has contributed to candidates such as John Kerry and the liberal advocacy group MoveOn.org.

"The public perception of Judge Perkins' activities shows him to be on opposite sides of the political fence than Tom DeLay," defense attorney Dick DeGuerin argued.

The next step will be addressing the substantive claims in the indictment of DeLay proffered by District Attorney Ronnie Earle. By no means does this mean that he's out of the woods, but DeLay now has a better shot at an impartial hearing.

UPDATE:
Others taking note/cross posting of the DeLay judge swap: Don Surber, Stop the ACLU, NIF, Conservative Outpost, Blogging of the President, and THM Bacon Bits.