Sec. 33.051. SOLICITATION OR ACCEPTANCE OF REFERRAL FEES OR GIFTS BY JUDGE; CRIMINAL PENALTY

(a) A judge commits an offense if the judge solicits or accepts a gift or a referral fee in exchange for referring any kind of legal business to an attorney or law firm. This subsection does not prohibit a judge from:

(1) soliciting funds for appropriate campaign or officeholder expenses as permitted by Canon 4D, Code of Judicial Conduct, and state law; or

(2) accepting a gift in accordance with the provisions of Canon 4D, Code of Judicial Conduct.

(b) It is an affirmative defense to prosecution under Subsection (a) that:

(1) the judge solicited the gift or referral fee before taking the oath of office but accepted the gift or fee after taking the oath of office; or

(2) the judge solicited or accepted the gift or referral fee after taking the oath of office in exchange for referring to an attorney or law firm legal business that the judge was engaged in but was unable to complete before taking the oath of office.

(c) An offense under this section is a Class B misdemeanor.

(d) If, after an investigation, the commission determines that a judge engaged in conduct described by Subsection (a) to which Subsection (b) does not apply, the commission may issue a sanction against the judge or institute formal proceedings, regardless of whether the judge is being prosecuted or has been convicted of an offense under this section.

(e) An attorney or judge who has information that a judge engaged in conduct described by Subsection (a) to which Subsection (b) does not apply shall file a complaint with the commission not later than the 30th day after the date the attorney or judge obtained the information. A judge who fails to comply with this subsection is subject to sanctions by the commission. An attorney who fails to comply with this subsection is subject to discipline by the Commission for Lawyer Discipline under Subchapter E, Chapter 81.

(f) For purposes of this section:

(1) "Judge" does not include a constitutional county court judge, a statutory county court judge who is authorized by law to engage in the private practice of law, a justice of the peace, or a municipal court judge, if that judge or justice of the peace solicits or accepts a gift or a referral fee in exchange for referring legal business that involves a matter over which that judge or justice of the peace will not preside in the court of that judge or justice of the peace.

(2) "Referral fee" includes forwarding fees, acknowledgment fees, and any form of payment, benefit, or compensation related to the referral or placement of a potential client for legal services.

Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 850, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2003.