From the beginning, many believed this case was less about securing a conviction and more about politically destroying Maryland State Sen. Dalya Attar.

Now, a federal judge has dismissed most of the charges against Attar and her two co-defendants, including the extortion and Travel Act counts.

The judge ruled that it did not meet the legal definition of extortion under the laws cited by prosecutors.

Today’s ruling is a significant vindication for Attar – and raises serious questions about why this case was brought the way it was in the first place.