Mike Maggio
Mike Maggio was the Division 2 circuit judge of the Twentieth Circuit of Arkansas. He was appointed to the court by Governor Mike Huckabee in January 2001. His current term was set to expire in December 2014, however, Maggio was removed from office on September 11, 2014 (see story below).[1][2][3][4][5]
Education
Maggio received his undergraduate degree from Millsaps College in Mississippi in 1983. He attended law school at University of Mississippi for three years before graduating with his J.D. from University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 1989.[2]
Career
Before becoming a circuit judge in 2001, Maggio was in private practice with the Maggio Law Firm between 1990 and 2000. He previously served as a deputy prosecutor, a small claims judge and a special municipal judge.[2]
Awards and associations
- Arkansas Judicial Council
- Arkansas Bar Association
- Chamber of Commerce
- Kiwanis Club [2]
Noteworthy events
Maggio admits to making inappropriate online comments; withdraws from race (2014)
On March 3, 2014, the Arkansas politics blog, Blue Hog Report, accused Judge Maggio of making inappropriate comments on forums of the Louisiana State University "TigerDroppings.com" fan website.[6] Under the username "geauxjudge", Maggio provided information about a confidential adoption and made various comments that were allegedly sexist, racist, perverse and homophobic.[7]
The Blue Hog Report said it deduced the true identity of "geauxjudge" by piecing together various facts about him that were shared on the forum, such as where he went to college and a reference to his daughter's golf career.[7] The Arkansas Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission then began an investigation.[5]
On March 5, Maggio accepted responsibility for the posts and withdrew from the 2014 appellate court race. He stated,
| “ | I take full responsibility for the comments that have been attributed to me. I apologize deeply for my lapse in personal judgment and for that, I have no excuse. The comments posted were not acceptable. These comments are not a reflection of who I am.[5][8] | ” |
Maggio campaign contributions linked to reduced jury award
In February 2014, Maggio filed campaign finance reports related to his bid for a seat on the Arkansas Court of Appeals. (He subsequently withdrew from the race.) According to an article on the Log Cabin Democrat website, TheCabin.net, Maggio received several contributions to his campaign from a defendant in a case he was presiding over during the summer of 2013.[9]
Martha Bull's estate sued the Greenbrier Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in a nursing home negligence matter. Bull died from causes linked to what a jury found to be negligent care, which she received at Greenbrier. Michael Morton, was also a defendant, but he was dismissed before the case went to trial. However, Morton owns several centers, including Greenbrier. He is also the owner of an umbrella corporation called Central Arkansas Nursing Centers, that was named as a defendant in Bull's lawsuit.[9]
After the trial which lasted eight days, the jury in Bull's case found in favor of her estate and awarded $5.2 million for negligence, pain and suffering.[10] In July 2013, Maggio reduced a jury award of $5.2 million in the case to $1 million in response to a motion brought by the defendant, Central Arkansas Nursing Centers.[9] Another article on the Log Cabin Democrat said the reason Maggio reduced the award was because it "appears to be the result of passion or prejudice" and is "so great that it shocks the conscience of the court."[10]
Prior to Maggio's ruling, several political action committees (PACs) were formed on July 8, 2013. In all, six PACs were created, each with one $3,000 contribution. The Log Cabin Democrat said that all the contributions could be tied to companies and entities connected to Morton,
| “ | . . . using a financial interest disclosure form Morton had to file after receiving a governor's appointment to the Health Services Permit Commission, and other Secretary of State business reporting forms.[9][8] | ” |
Maggio reportedly disclosed that his campaign for the court of appeals received $10,000 in January and February 2014 from PAC's connected to Morton.[9]
The Arkansas Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission launched an investigation regarding possible inappropriate conduct by Maggio.[9]
Maggio will never seek judicial office again
On August 6, 2014, the Judicial Discipline & Disability Commission unanimously approved a number of sanctions against Maggio. Maggio admitted to violating ethical rules and the judicial code of conduct and has agreed to never serve as judge or run for a judicial office again.[11]
Maggio was cited by the commission for a violation, among other things, of releasing the identity of actress Charlize Theron in her adoption proceedings, improperly using social media which resulted in a breach of confidentiality in a number of cases, and using an electronic forum to make improper comments about topics such as sex jokes, mental illness, race, and sexual preference.[12]
Maggio continued to collect his salary of $140,371 a year after being removed from hearing cases in March 2014.[11]
Update
The Arkansas Supreme Court ordered the immediate removal of Maggio from the bench, effective the date of the court's opinion on September 11, 2014. Maggio had been suspended from the bench since March 24, 2014, but had continued to collect his salary while others performed his judicial duties for him. The court, in response, stated "we deem any further suspension with pay to be inappropriate. Instead, this court concludes that immediate removal is the just and proper sanction for the judge's conduct."[13][14]
See also
- Arkansas 20th Judicial Circuit
- Faulkner County, Arkansas
- Searcy County, Arkansas
- Van Buren County, Arkansas
External links
- Arkansas Judiciary, "Circuit Courts"
- Log Cabin Democrat, "Maggio fined, warned by Ethics Commission," October 27, 2010
Footnotes
- ↑ Arkansas Judiciary, "Arkansas Judicial Directory," accessed August 25, 2014pg. 17
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Faulkner County, Arkansas, "2nd Division Judge," accessed August 25, 2014
- ↑ Arkansas Blog, "Mike Maggio announces for court of appeals," June 27, 2013
- ↑ Log Cabin Democrat, "Maggio fined, warned by Ethics Commission," October 27, 2010
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Arkansas Times, "Judge Mike Maggio withdraws from Court of Appeals race; acknowledges web postings," March 5, 2014
- ↑ Tiger Droppings.com, "Tiger Droppings.com Homepage," accessed August 25, 2014
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Blue Hog Report, "Who Have You Wronged, Mr. Maggio? Hog Nation Turns Its Angry Eyes to You... ," March 3, 2014
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 Log Cabin Democrat, "Update: Maggio's campaign funds linked to past defendant," March 11, 2014
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Log Cabin Democrat, "Maggio reduces damages from $5.2M to $1M in Greenbrier Nursing case," July 11, 2013
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Arkansas Times, "Mike Maggio cuts deal on judicial ethics probe; will never be judge again," August 6, 2014
- ↑ Arkansas Times, Press Release, "Judicial Discipline & Disability Commission Press Release on Judge Michael A. Maggio," August 6, 2014
- ↑ Leagle.com, "Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission, Petitioner, v. Michael Maggio, Respondent: Supreme Court of Arkansas Opinion Delivered September 11, 2014," accessed September 15, 2014
- ↑ Arkansas Business.com, "Arkansas Supreme Court Orders Immediate Removal of Judge Mike Maggio," September 11, 2014
Federal courts:
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Arkansas, Western District of Arkansas • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Arkansas, Western District of Arkansas
State courts:
Arkansas Supreme Court • Arkansas Court of Appeals • Arkansas Circuit Courts • Arkansas District Courts
State resources:
Courts in Arkansas • Arkansas judicial elections • Judicial selection in Arkansas
