Justice Hecht Violates Judicial Code

The problems just keep piling up for Texas Supreme Court Justice Nathan Hecht. First he abuses his office by promoting an ex-girlfriend (Harriet Miers) for a position on the U.S. Supreme Court. Then he compounds the wrongdoing by accepting a huge discount on his legal defense fees.

The law says a judge can solicit funds for his defense fees, but those donations cannot exceed $5,000 from an individual or $30,000 from a PAC or firm. His discount in legal fees was over $100,000. Texas Watch filed a complaint with the Commission on Judicial Conduct, the Travis County D.A.'s office and the Texas Ethics Commission, claiming the discount violated the law.

But as unethical and possibly illegal as the discount was, Justice Hecht did something else that could cast a dark shadow on the entire Texas Supreme Court and any decisions they might make.

Unbelievably, he solicited funds for his defense from attorneys and firms that regularly practice law before the Texas Supreme Court. What the hell was he thinking? This action taints any decision the Court might make when any of these attorneys or firms appear before them. Whether there is wrongdoing or not, there will always be a perception that Justice Hecht's vote was bought.

There is already a perception that the Republican court has been bought and paid for by the huge corporations. The court simply cannot stand to add Justice Hecht's wrongdoing to this already tainted perception.

On Tuesday, Texas Watch filed another complaint against Hecht with the Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct. This time they are charging him with violating the Code of Judicial Conduct by soliciting funds from attorneys who appear before the court.

There is a precedent for the charge. In 1987, the commission admonished Justice William Kilgarlin for doing the same thing exactly. How could they find differently in Hecht's case?

Once again, I call for the resignation of Justice Nathan Hecht from the Texas Supreme Court. Whether he is found guilty or not, his unethical actions have put a black mark on the court which can only be erased by his removal.