Hecht, No
An effort to force judges to more quickly report their campaign contributors --including those who might have cases before their court -- ran aground today in the Texas House. Rep. Pete Gallego of Alpine tried to attach an amendment to a bill requiring that judges report their money two weeks after completing their fundraising -- not waiting for months as is the current practice.
Here's the backstory: Texas Supreme Court Justice Nathan Hecht ran up a $340,000 legal bill defending himself against ethics charges for promoting the appointment of Harriet Miers, a close friend, to the U.S. Supreme Court. He solicited political donors for the money.
We reported last week that Hecht collected $16,000 from Houston homebuilder Bob Perry through a political committee. Perry is a big-time Republican campaign contributor. Turns out that Perry Homes argued a big case last month before the high court involving a retirement-age couple in a 10-year battle against Perry over a defective house.
Whether Perry has given Hecht more, we don't know. Hecht doesn't have to report his full list of donors until July. And Bob Perry's people aren't talking.
So Gallego & Co. tried to change the law to make judges report more quickly in the future. Lawmakers liked it -- by a vote of 84-61. But Republican House Speaker Tom Craddick struck down the amendment on a point of order.