Ex-governor free pending appeal

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Edwin Edwards expressed renewed hope for his eventual acquittal after a federal appeals court allowed the former governor to remain free while he appeals his conviction for extorting applicants for riverboat casino licenses.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled late Thursday that Edwards, his son and two others need not report to Texas federal prisons until the New Orleans-based appellate court studies their appeals.

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