NYC Mayor Eric Adams' federal corruption case was formally dropped Wednesday, months after he became the city's first mayor to be indicted.

Ho could have tried to stretch the limits of his own authority: decline to dismiss the case, and try to appoint a prosecutor to continue pursuing the charges. That would be fraught, with invite an immediate appeal, and would be unlikely to succeed.

The ruling is a major but hollow victory for Adams, who has maintained his innocence and called the case politically motivated. He no longer faces the prospect of a prison term as long as 45 years and is free to run a more open re-election campaign.