AP News, January 24th, 2008
A Texas Supreme Court justice acknowledged Wednesday that he used campaign cash to pay for dozens of flights to his hometown last year, calling the trips campaign-related — even though he's not up for re-election until 2012.
Justice Nathan Hecht is the third of the state's nine Supreme Court justices to have his campaign finances scrutinized recently. Justices Paul Green and David Medina face similar queries.
Hecht reported 42 payments to airlines for in-state trips last year, according to campaign finance records. "A good bit" of them were for travel to his hometown of Carrollton, he said, where he still owns a home and attends church.
"I feel like it advances my campaign to go up there, and I almost always work when I'm there," said Hecht, who was re-elected to a six-year term in 2006.
Of the 25 in-state flights Hecht reported after July 1, other campaign expenditures, such as hotels or cab fare, indicate that only four of them were not to Carrollton, according to Hecht's most recent campaign finance report.
Using political contributions for personal use is against state law. The Texas Ethics Commission has interpreted the law to ban appellate judges from using campaign donations to pay the costs of commuting between a judge's home city and the city where the court is.
Under Texas' election code, a judge who breaks the law would have to pay back the amount in question and any court costs.
"Justice Hecht hasn't provided the public with enough information to determine whether he's toeing the line or crossing it," said Alex Winslow, executive director of Texas Watch, a group that monitors the Texas Supreme Court and civil justice issues.
Hecht last year was accused of abusing his office to promote Harriet Miers for a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. Hecht praised Miers in about 120 media interviews during the nomination process.
Hecht and Miers, who later resigned as White House counsel, had once dated.
Earlier this week, Texas Watch accused Green of improperly using campaign funds to reimburse his mileage expenses between his home in San Antonio and the court in Austin.
Green has said that he has lived at an Austin apartment since March 2005, but that he drives to San Antonio often on different types of business. He said he is aware of the ban on using campaign funds for commuting.
On Monday, Medina's lawyer said the judge will repay political funds that he used for commuting between Houston and Austin. Attorney Terry Yates said Medina had received incorrect advice from an accountant when he used the campaign funds.
(This version CORRECTS the number of in-state trips reported to 42, instead of 48.)
