The judge presiding over the drug possession case of country star Willie Nelson has refused to approve a plea deal to reduce the charges.

Nelson was arrested last November under suspicion of possessing marijuana after a member of Border Patrol staff smelled the drug during a search of the singer’s tour bus.

Nelson reportedly struck a deal which allowed him to plead no contest to a reduced charge and pay a $500 fine on top of $280 in court costs.

However, Judge Becky Dean-Walker changed her mind after signing the deal, scratching her name out, because she didn’t want to let Nelson off light.

Dean-Walker explains, "I'm not going to be guilty of signing something because someone is a celebrity... Everybody should be treated the same in my court."

Watch Nelson talking about his quest to legalise pot on Larry King below: