Senator Roland Burris, the Illinois Democrat who was appointed by disgraced Governor Rod Blagojevich to fill the Senate seat vacated by President Barack Obama, will not face perjury charges from Illinois prosecutors in connection with testimony he gave to a panel investigating the circumstances behind Blagojevich's appointment process.

State's Attorney John Schmidt sent a letter to Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives Michael Madigan informing him of the decision.  However, in that letter and in the subsequent press release on the subject from the Attorney General's office, prosecutors said that it was not Burris' innocence that prevented charges from being brought, but rather insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Burris knowingly made false or misleading statements to the investigative panel.  Madigan's daughter, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, is considering running for Burris' Senate seat in 2010 (perhaps regardless of whether Burris himself runs or not).

Burris issues the following statement in a press release:

"I am obviously very pleased with today's decision by State's Attorney John Schmidt. His investigation was both thorough and fair, and I am glad that the truth has prevailed. This matter has now been fully investigated; I cooperated at every phase of the process, and as I have said from the beginning, I have never engaged in any pay-to-play, never perjured myself, and came to this seat in an honest and legal way. Today's announcement confirms all that. I am glad I can now put this matter behind me and get on with my work in the United States Senate serving the people of Illinois."
 

Burris still isn't out of the woods completely.  The Senate Ethics Committee could still choose to investigate Burris and bring charges against him, and even go so far as to censure or expel him.  However, with roughly 18 months left in his term and no concrete indication that Burris is planning on seeking reelection, Senate Democrats may be reluctant to move against a fellow Democrat.