In the interval between the first trial and the start of the second trial, the US Supreme Court issued a ruling on the Honest Services Theft issue ("Skilling vs. U.S.", June 24, 2010), calling the original law too vague. Its ruling limited the government′s application of a 1988 "honest services fraud" statute used in Ring's first trial, ruling that it applies only to bribes and kickbacks for specific acts. Before, prosecutors could target patterns of corruption and influence-peddling without proving an explicit "quid pro quo." Legal analysts predicted the retrial of Ring would serve as a barometer of the effectiveness of tools available to prosecutors to combat corruption among congressional and executive branch officials.