February 27, 2015 5:09 PM

TEC asks for recusal of Denton judge and social media follower of MQ Sullivan in lobby case

Ethics Commission’s attorney cites the fact that Judge Steven Burgess has been a Twitter follower of Sullivan’s, did not disclose that, and deleted his account after it was made known

Attorneys for the Texas Ethics Commission are asking for the recusal of the judge in Denton County who recently threw out the lobby case against Michael Quinn Sullivan, the prominent spokesman for Midland oilman Tim Dunn.

Eric Nichols, outside counsel for the commission, argued in a filing this week that Judge Steven Burgess should not be allowed to rule on the matter, in part, because he had previously been a follower of Sullivan’s on Twitter and did not disclose that.

Sullivan was one of the few people the judge followed on the social media platform.

By Scott Braddock