Justice Department Drops Case Against John Edwards

[WSJ Law Blog]

The Justice Department has dropped its criminal case against former presidential candidate John Edwards. His campaign*finance*trial ended in a mistrial last month, with jurors acquitting him of one of six counts related to a a donation in 2008 from his friend, wealthy banking heiress Rachel "Bunny" Mellon.The jurors were*unable to reach a verdict on the remaining five counts, which included a conspiracy charge and two charges related to donations from another wealthy donor, the late Fred Baron. The Justice Department filed notice with U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Eagles in North Carolina on Wednesday that it was dropping the remaining charges.Update 4:53 p.m. John Edwards's daughter, Cate Edwards, tweeted: "Big sigh of relief. Ready to move forward with life."Update 4:50 p.m. Statement from John Edwards's lawyers Abbe D. Lowell of Chadbourne & Parke and Allison O. Van Laningham and Alan W. Duncan of Smith Moore Leatherwood:

We are grateful that the Justice Department, after hearing from the jury, has dismissed the remaining charges in this case.* As we stated in our motions and arguments in court, the novel theory of campaign law violations charged by the Justice Department is not a crime. It should be addressed, if at all, by the Federal Election Commission, which our evidence showed seems to have agreed with our views on the law.* While John has repeatedly admitted to his sins, he has also consistently asserted, as we demonstrated at the trial, that he did not violate any campaign law nor even imagined that any campaign laws could apply.* We are confident that the outcome of any new trial would have been the same.* We are very glad that, after living under this cloud for over three years, John and his family can have their lives back and enjoy the peace they deserve.

Edwards




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[Lexus]

The criminal justice system in America is designed to "enforce the standards of conduct necessary to protect individuals and the community", according to the President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration. The criminal justice system consists of entities that serve a specific purpose of dealing with those who choose not to obey the laws of society.