A Texas judge said former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R) will be tried prior to his co-defendants over allegations he violated the state’s campaign finance laws if the case proceeds to trial, the Austin American-Statesman reported Tuesday.

Senior District Judge Pat Priest said during a Tuesday hearing: “There is such a thing as a speedy trial. Five years later, it’s high time he got it.”

The former Texas lawmaker faces a 2005 indictment on money-laundering charges and allegations he sought to evade a state ban on corporate campaign donations during the 2002 state legislative races.

The indictment also charged political operatives Jim Ellis and John Colyandro, who ran the Americans for a Republican Majority political action committee and Texans for a Republican Majority PAC, respectively, in the alleged scheme.

The newspaper reported that Priest has denied several motions to dismiss the case, but the hearing continued Tuesday.

The judge has yet to announce a trial date.