LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas Supreme Court Associate Justice Courtney Henry reported nearly $100,000 worth of gifts from a Texarkana lawyer in 2010 on her statement of financial interest.
The attorney, John Goodson of Texarkana, also was listed in her report as one of her creditors for $5,000or more.
“I am dating John Goodson,” Henry said in an interview late Monday. “He is my boyfriend. He has given me gifts.”
She said that Goodson and his firm, Keil and Goodson, is on her “permanent recusal list” at the Supreme Court, meaning “I will never hear one of his cases.”
A call to his law firm late Monday wasn’t answered.
In all, his gifts to Henry totaled $99,539, not including whatever he did to become one of her creditors.
The gifts included nine trips to unlisted destinations with airfare, hotel, meals and entertainment costing a combined $46,853.
Goodson also gave her a watch costing $22,500, earrings costing $9,500, a coat costing $6,700, a necklace costing $4,000, and four bags costing a combined $3,825, among other things.
Henry declined to reveal how much money she owes Goodson and where she went on the trips, saying she would only reveal what was required on the forms which are set by state law.
“I have fully and completely filled out those forms,” she said. “I have been honest to disclose exactly what those gifts were.”
She said a case involving Goodson was once before her when she was a Court of Appeals judge. But she said she didn’t know Goodson at that time.
Henry was elected to the Supreme Court in May 2010over Circuit Ju d g e Jo h n Fogleman of Marion.
The following month, Mark Henry, her husband, filed for divorce. His filing said he was entitled to a divorce on the grounds of “general indignities,” and that the couple was seeking joint custody of their three minor children.
Courtney Henry’s answer to her husband’s filing said her husband is entitled to a divorce and that she waived “the necessity for plaintiff to present corroborating evidence.”
Henry said Monday her divorce was final “months ago.”
Goodson was the No. 6 overall contributor to federal races in Arkansas in 2010, giving the second most to Democrats, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
He contributed $108,400 last year to federal candidates, including $106,000 to Democrats.
Statements of financial interests for 2010 from public officials are filed with the secretary of state’s office and had to be postmarked by Monday, according to Alice Stewart, spokesman for Secretary of State Mark Martin.
Reported income must be designated as being more than $1,000 or more than $12,500.
BEEBE
Gov. Mike Beebe reported five sources of income in addition to his state salary, according to his financial disclosure Monday.
Beebe, a Democrat, reported four sources of income of more than $12,500: his state salary, certificates of deposit from Regions Bank of Searcy, certificates of deposit from First Security Bank of Searcy, and bonds from Morgan Keegan and Co. of Searcy.
He reported two sources of income of more than $1,000: a money market account from Crews and Co. of Little Rock and certificates of deposit from Citizens State Bank in Searcy.
MCDANIEL
Attorney General Dustin McDaniel reported income of more than $12,500 each from his state salary and from Mc-Daniel Management Co. LLC of Little Rock.
He reported a gift: a duck hunt from the Wright Lindsey and Jennings law firm of Little Rock, valued at $700.
He reported nine trips. Six were for the Democratic Attorneys General Association meetings: $1,232 to Miami; $764 to Denver; $1,408 to Washington, D.C.; $1,227 to Austin, Texas; $1,408 to Charleston, S.C.; and $916 to Austin, Texas.
Three trips were from the National Governors Association to a meeting in Nashville, Tenn., $346, The Aspen Institute for a trip to Asia, $19,436, and the Conference of Western Attorneys General for a meeting Sacramento, Calif., $366.
OTHERS
Lt. Gov. Mark Darr, a Republican who took office last month, reported more than $12,500 from his business, The MAD Pizza Co. of Rogers; more than $1 ,000 from Mark Darr Insurance of Rogers, and more than $12,500 from the salary of his wife, Kimberly, from her job as a teacher at Shiloh Christian Schools in Springdale.
Former Lt. Gov. Bill Halter, a Democrat, reported income of more than $12,500 from his state salary, farm income of more than $1,000 from La Vista Farms of North Little Rock, and legal work of more than $12,500 by his wife, Shanti, for Thomas Terpstra of Ripon, Calif. His trips were $439 in hotel and travel to the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association meeting in Washington, D.C.; $576 in hotel and travel for a Communication Workers of America meeting in Washington; $1,533 in hotel and travel for a Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association meeting in Boston; and $1,093 in hotel and travel for MoveOn.org events in Nashua,N.H., and Madison, Wis.
Auditor Charlie Daniels, a Democrat who served as secretary of state last year, reported his state salary of more than $12,500, Social Security benefits of more than $12,500, Entergy retirement benefits of more than $1,000, and retirement benefits of more than $1,000 for his late wife from The Northern Trust Company of Chicago.
Treasurer Martha Shoffner, a Democrat, reported her state salary of more than $12,500, real estate income from Sink Realty of Newport of more than $12,500, investment income of more than $1,000 from Morgan Keegan Inc. of Memphis, and rental income from property in Newport of more than $1,000.
Jim Wood, a Democrat who was auditor last year, reported more than $12,500 from his state salary and management fees for Jim Wood Farms of North Little Rock.
Secretary of State Mark Martin, a Republican who was a legislator last year, reported income of more than $12,500 from his state salary and income from his company, M3 Engineering of Prairie Grove.
Land Commissioner John Thurston, who took office in January, reported one source of income of more than $12,500, his job at Agape Church in Little Rock.
Senate President Pro Tempore Paul Bookout, DJonesboro, reported income of more than $12,500 each from his state salary, his job at Langford-Bookout Funeral Home in Jonesboro, and his wife’s salary as a counselor in Jonesboro public schools.
He reported a trip: $8,271 for a Council of State Governments delegation visit to China.
House Speaker Robert S. Moore Jr., who was also a legislator last year, reported income of more than $12,500 from his state salary, more than $12,500 from income from Moore Farms of Arkansas City, more than $12,500 from his state retirement from the Arkansas Public Employees Retirement System, and more than $1,000 from being on the board of First National Bank of McGehee.
Robbie Wills, a Democrat from Conway who was House speaker last year, reported income: of more than $12,500 from Wills Law Firm of Conway, more than $12,500 from his state salary, more than $12,500 from his wife’s salary at Acxiom of Conway, and more than $1,000 from being on the board of U.S. Bank in Conway.
He listed unknown costs for trips provided by the State Legislative Leaders Foundation of Centerville, Mass.: the National Speakers Conference in Annapolis, Md., and the Transatlantic Forum in Dublin, Ireland. He listed the cost of each as “unknown.”
Bob Johnson, a Democrat from Bigelow who was Senate president pro tempore last year, reported one source of income of more than $1,000, Johnson Brothers Construction Inc. of Bigelow.
Arkansas, Pages 7 on 02/01/2011