A criminal-defense lawyer who alleged that a Galveston County judge cut his assigned cases in retaliation for criticizing the county's indigent defense practices has settled his lawsuit with the judge.

Galveston County Court-at-Law No. 3 Judge Jack Ewing did not admit to any wrongdoing in the April 22 settlement agreement with Houston solo practitioner Drew Willey. They both agreed they share a goal of providing high-quality indigent defense and following the law and U.S. Constitution. Willey and Ewing also said they would abide by the Texas Fair Defense Act and their county's indigent defense plan.

“There was no evidence of any wrongdoing as alleged by Mr. Willey. Judge Ewing has merely agreed to continue to follow the rule of law as Judge Ewing has and will continue to do,” said Mike Lowenberg of the Lowenberg Law Firm in Houston, who represented Ewing. “Hopefully, this settlement will help prevent, or at least discourage in the future, frivolous claims against members of our judiciary, unless those claims have serious merits.”