Former Texas governor and potential 2016 GOP presidential hopeful Rick Perry appears to be headed for trial on abuse of power charges after a judge refused to drop charges against him on constitutional grounds.

According to The Associated Press, the ruling marked the second time since August a court has declined to legally absolve Perry of the two felony charges he now faces.

More specifically, Perry is accused of threatening to veto millions of dollars in funding for the Travis County Office of Democratic district attorney Rosemary Lehmberg; she resigned from office following a 2013 drunken driving conviction. When Lehmberg refused his demand, Perry allegedly went through with his threat by slashing nearly $8 million in funding previously targeted for the state's Public Integrity Division.

A grand jury formally indicted Perry last August. Since then, motions filed by his attorneys seeking dissolution of the charges have included such technicalities as the special prosecutor was not properly sworn in.

Still, the rather harsh reality that a criminal indictment could be hanging over his head has seemingly done little to slow Perry's presidential aspirations.

"Standing up for the rule of law, standing up for the Constitution, that's a good thing," he argued this week according to Politico. "We're moving right along as we have intended to and will make a decision -- actually 'announcement' in the May-June timetable. Given, the choice, I would make the same decision again today."

Even before he left office earlier this month after serving 14 years as the Lone Star State's longest sitting governor, Perry warned all who would listen of the dangerous precedent set by the practice of chipping away at a political leader's executive authority.

Already, Perry's lead attorney David Botsford has filed an "expedited appeal" in the case.

"I'll continue this fight," Perry vowed. "I'm confident I'll ultimately prevail because the prosecution's case amounts to the criminalization of politics, and it would impose a chilling effect on free speech."

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