Former 3rd Court Chief Justice Kenneth Law agrees to pay penalty

Former 3rd Court of Appeals Chief Justice Kenneth Law has agreed to pay a $4,100 civil penalty that the Texas Ethics Commission imposed on him for state election law violations stemming from his unsuccessful bid for re-election in 2008. J. Woodfin “Woodie” Jones, a Democrat, defeated Law, a Republican, in the 2008 general election. Texans for Public Justice, a government watchdog group, filed a complaint against Law with the ethics commission in September 2008, alleging that he had violated provisions of state campaign finance laws. According to the Order and Agreed Resolution in In the Matter of Wallace Kenneth Law, the commission determined there is credible evidence that Law violated six provisions of the Texas Election Code and two sections of Ethics Commission Rules in his January and July semi-annual reports for 2008. The commission determined among other things, that Law violated Election Code §253.031, which prohibits a candidate from knowingly accepting a contribution or spending money on his campaign prior to appointing a campaign treasurer, and §253.032, which prohibits a candidate from accepting more than a $500 contribution from an out-of-state political committee during a reporting period without disclosing the committee’s Federal Election Code identification number and other information about the committee. Law, who serves as a visiting judge, did not return two telephone calls seeking comment.
-- Mary Alice Robbins