The Texas Republicans just suffered a big defeat:

The Texas Republican Party must keep Tom DeLay’s name on the November election ballot, even though the former congressman has dropped his re-election bid, a federal judge ruled Thursday.

DeLay, the former House majority leader who resigned from office June 9, won the Republican primary for his district in March but decided against re-election a month later.

GOP leaders want another Republican to replace DeLay on the ballot and say state election law allows them to select one because DeLay has moved out of Texas.

Lawyers for Texas Democrats argued that DeLay still owns a Houston-area home, where his wife Christine lives and where DeLay spends time. The Democrats also argued that it couldn’t be shown conclusively whether DeLay would be an “inhabitant” of Texas on Election Day on Nov. 7.

Looks like the hammer is no longer swinging. This was one of Delay’s last big swindles to pull over on democracy and apparently this judge viewed it the same way. Just wait until Ronnie Earl gets him before a judge and jury.