Texas Watch—Consumer Protection. Corporate Accountability. Citizen Advocacy.

In a letter soliciting donations to cover his legal expenses, Texas Supreme Court Justice Nathan Hecht himself called a so-called “discount” he received on his legal bills an “in-kind contribution” (see page two, paragraph 1 of the letter), but he has never reported it on his campaign finance reports. Failing to report a contribution is a violation of state ethics laws.

This weekend, Texas Watch obtained an original copy of the letter Hecht sent to attorneys, lobbyists, and litigants with business before the Court soliciting funds to cover his personal legal expenses. In the letter, Justice Hecht says that “The firm [Jackson Walker] has also agreed to designate a large part of the fees as an in-kind contribution to my campaign.”

A review of Hecht’s campaign finance reports shows no in-kind contributions from Jackson Walker to Hecht’s campaign. In a letter to the Texas Ethics Commission, Texas Watch pointed out that failure to report an in-kind gift is a violation of the Election Code. Texas Watch is forwarding a copy of Hecht’s letter to the Texas Ethics Commission as an addendum to a complaint filed against Hecht last week.

“Justice Hecht knew that Jackson Walker gave him an in-kind contribution that was in violation of judicial campaign contribution limits.” said Alex Winslow, Executive Director of Texas Watch, the statewide citizens group that filed three separate complaints against Hecht last week. “Why didn’t he report it? Is it because he knew it was over the $30,000 contribution limit?”

Hecht received a so-called “discount” on legal expenses arising out of his admonition by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct. That discount, which equals approximately $100,000, has been confirmed by Hecht’s attorney Charles “Chip” Babcock in numerous media accounts this week. This is an apparent violation of statutory campaign contribution limits imposed on judges and judicial candidates who choose to comply with the Judicial Campaign Fairness Act.

“It appears that Justice Hecht knowingly accepted a contribution that was in violation of the law and then didn’t report it,” said Winslow.

Texas Watch has also filed complaints with the Public Integrity Unit and the State Commission on Judicial Conduct alleging possible violations of the Penal Code and the Canons of Judicial Ethics. Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle has confirmed that his office has this matter “under review.”