Republicans in the House of Representatives reversed course Monday night on new ethics rules, bowing to pressure from individual members and constituents who were outraged by an effort to shield lawmakers from investigation and punishment.

Before relenting, Speaker Dennis Hastert was pushing for changes that would have made it much more difficult for the House to discipline its members for unethical behavior and would have protected the leadership post of Majority Leader Tom DeLay even if he is indicted by a Texas grand jury.

Three of DeLay’s associates have been indicted in Texas as part of an investigation of the state’s redistricting, which DeLay backed. In November, Republicans voted to change a rule that required leaders to relinquish their posts if indicted. The goal was to protect DeLay. That ill-considered rule change has been reversed.

One significant rule change did survive the meeting, however. As it stands, the House Ethics Committee is evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats, unlike other committees, which are dominated by the majority party. A tie vote allows an investigation to begin. But this change will require a majority vote, which essentially allows either party to keep an ethics inquiry from beginning.

The attempt to loosen ethics rules in the House left Republicans with a black eye. The change of direction gives them a little makeup to conceal the blemish.