Former senator and presidential candidate John Edwards won't be returning to the courtroom any time soon. The federal government has decided not to retry him three weeks after he was acquitted on one count and the jury deadlocked on five others.

Edwards was accused of using his campaign funds to hide his pregnant mistress in hopes of preventing a scandal.

Criminal division chief Lanny Breuer said, "We knew that this case, like all campaign finance cases, would be challenging. But it is our duty to bring hard bases when we believe that the facts and law support charging a candidate for high office with a crime."