AUSTIN -- Trial lawyers have recently been especially generous to embattled Texas Supreme Court Justice Nathan Hecht - and he appears to be returning the favors.

Even after covering bills from defending himself against improper conduct charges, Hecht's legal-defense fund finished well in the black, according to reports Tuesday. Hecht raised the money in March-April but wasn't legally required to reveal his donors until Monday.

Texas law firms kicked in $447,000 to Hecht's legal defense fund to cover costs Hecht incurred in 2006 while fighting a penalty against him by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct. His legal bills from that case totaled $340,000.

Seventeen of those firms have appeared in cases before the Supreme Court since March this year, when Hecht first began soliciting contributions, according to campaign watchdog Texas Watch. Hecht subsequently ruled in favor of donors' clients in eight of the nine such cases he heard on the Texas Supreme Court bench.

"At virtually every opportunity Justice Hecht sided with entities that have covered his personal legal bills," Texas Watch Executive Director Alex Winslow stated. "This raises serious questions about his ability to be impartial."

Amongst the most prominent of Hecht's donors-on-the-docket were Vinson & Elkins and Locke, Liddell & Sapp, who each donated $25,000, according to a separate Texas Watch list. Baker Botts, Haynes & Boone, Thompson & Knight and Texans for Lawsuit Reforms each kicked in $15,000.

All six have since received favorable rulings from Hecht on important Texas Supreme Court cases in recent months where they represented a significant interest, the Texas Watch list notes.

"Justice Hecht's cavalier attitude is an insult to all Texans who expect our judges to act with the highest ethical standards," Winslow of Texas Watch stated.

Hecht raised eyebrows in March by trying to tap the taxpayer for his legal costs while also soliciting donations, LNL reported. He employed two GOP lawmakers to sponsor a bill allowing him alone to recoup legal fees but they bailed after learning of his private efforts.

Hecht was sanctioned originally for turning his chambers into a public relations war room on behalf of his old friend Harriet Miers in late 2005 after she was nominated for the U.S. Supreme Court. He gave 120 pro-Miers media interviews during office hours, the Commission charged.

Hecht's only public comment on the matter thus far has been: "I was just gratified that people were willing to help."