Read Judge Dale Ho's ruling to dismiss NYC Mayor Eric Adams' corruption case
New York City Mayor Eric Adams'
federal corruption case was dropped Wednesday
, as Judge Dale Ho ruled it should be dismissed with prejudice. That means the charges against the mayor cannot be filed again in the future.
The U.S. Department of Justice instructed the Southern District of New York
to drop the case on Feb. 10
, saying it hindered the mayor's ability to cooperate with the
federal government's immigration crackdown
and his ability
to run for reelection
.
The Justice Department memo
set off a legal battle
over whether to dismiss the charges -- and how.
The DOJ wanted the case dropped without prejudice, keeping the possibility to re-file after the 2025 mayoral election. New York
prosecutors
, along with
lawmakers and constituents
, raised concerns that would make Adams
beholden to President Trump's administration
.
In his ruling Wednesday, Judge Ho wrote in part, "There may or may not be good reasons to drop this prosecution. But the reasons articulated by DOJ, if taken at face value, are inconsistent with a decision to leave the charges in the Indictment hanging like the proverbial Sword of Damocles over the Mayor."
Here is the full transcript of his ruling:
Adams has not publicly addressed the dismissal, but his attorney released a statement reading in part, "The case against Eric Adams should have never been brought in the first place — and finally today that case is gone forever."
The mayor and his attorney have staunchly
denied any quid-pro-quo
in the case.
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