Abuse of power case against Rick Perry formally dismissed

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A judge has officially dismissed the felony abuse-of-power case against former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, weeks after the state’s highest court cleared him.

Wednesday’s action was a mere formality since the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in February voided the criminal indictment against Perry.

Perry left office last year and ran a short, second presidential campaign — despite facing a 2014 indictment in Austin for abuse of power and coercion of a public servant.

The charges stem from Perry’s publicly threatening — and then carrying out — a 2013 veto of state funding for public corruption prosecutors. That came after the unit’s Democratic head rebuffed Perry’s calls to resign after being convicted of drunken driving.

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Perry argued his freedom of speech was violated, and the indictments were quashed on appeal.