Today, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the convictions of former Gov. Bob McDonnell and his wife for honest services fraud, ruling that the instructions by the judge given to the jury were far too broad.
In a unanimous ruling, the justices ruled that “Because the jury was not correctly instructed on the meaning of “official act,” it may have convicted Governor McDonnell for conduct that is not unlawful.”
The government can choose to attempt to re-try the McDonnell and his wife, but given the time involved and the limited definition of “official act” they would have to work with, it is unlikely they will make the attempt, as it would be a futile effort.
You can read the entire ruling for yourself here.
