The chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court has settled a long-running ethics case against him in which state regulators concluded he violated campaign finance rules by receiving a large discount on legal fees.
The Austin American-Statesman reports Nathan Hecht has agreed to pay a $1,000 fine — down from a $29,000 fine issued in 2008.
The settlement agreement, released Wednesday, specifies that neither Hecht nor the Texas Ethics Commission prevailed in the dispute.
Hecht's lawyer, Steve McConnico, says the $1,000 settlement should not be considered a fine but a payment to settle a suit.
Alex Winslow, executive director of Texas Watch, which filed the ethics complaint in 2007 that led to Hecht's fine, says the settlement "makes a mockery of so-called ethics 'enforcement.'"
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Information from: Austin American-Statesman.
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