CONWAY - The campaign consultant for Circuit Judge Michael Maggio pulled out of Maggio’s campaign for higher office Tuesday, a day after an official confirmed the state was investigating allegations involving the judge and an Academy Award-winning actress’s adoption efforts.
Maggio, who had the support of numerous conservative attorneys in his bid for a seat on the Arkansas Court of Appeals, issued a two-sentence news release Tuesday but neither admitted nor denied he had made anonymous online postings about the 2012 adoption by Charlize Theron.
A poster using the pseudonym “geauxjudge” wrote about the Theron adoption case, which is confidential under Arkansas law, and criticized women who divorce their husbands. The poster also made graphic comments about women and sex, homosexuals and transsexuals, and joked about incest and bestiality in Arkansas.
Blue Hog Report, a liberal blog, first reported Monday on the online postings made on TigerDroppings.com, a message board for Louisiana State University fans and alleged they were made by Maggio, who is divorced and lives in Conway.
In the emailed release, Maggio said: “1. At the current time, I am unaware of any JDDC [Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission] complaint. 2. If in fact there is a complaint, I am prohibited from commenting.”
In the same email containing that release, Clint Reed, a former executive director of the Arkansas Republican Party and a consultant for Maggio’s campaign, announced: “Our firm will no longer be representing Judge Maggio moving forward. Any future press inquiries should be directed to Judge Maggio.”
Reed did not return a phone call or email asking why he pulled out of the campaign, but a day earlier he had said that if Maggio decided “to continue his campaign … I will no longer be a point of contact for his campaign.”
Maggio did not return repeated phone messages or requests for comment sent by email and Twitter.
Maggio is one of two candidates for the Arkansas Court of Appeals’ District 1, Position 2 seat. The other candidate is District Judge Bart Virden of Morrilton.
David J. Sachar, the Judicial Commission’s executive director, had said Monday that the commission was aware of the allegations reported by Blue Hog. He added in part, “I can confirm the pendency of an investigation by this agency.”
Sachar declined further comment Tuesday.
Virden said Tuesday that he did not know the facts surrounding the contention.
“I believe in the presumption of innocence. … I trust them to take care of it,” he said, referring to Judicial Commission officials.
“If he stays in the race, I’ll let the process of the law” and the election take place, Virden said.
Asked whether he would make an issue of the allegations, Virden said, “I don’t think it will be up to me to make an issue of it. I am running against him, but it’s not a battle against him individually.”
Geauxjudge said in the many postings that he is a judge and that he knew the judge who handled the 2012 adoption by Theron. In response to a question from another poster, he confirmed the adopted baby was black. He also said Theron disguised herself to remain unrecognized in court and that he offered to be “the baby daddy.”
In a June 4, 2011, posting, geauxjudge wrote: “I see it everyday. A woman makes emotional decision to divorce because the husband stepped out. When otherwise he was a good provider, father, and husband. Then a year or two later realizes uh oh I am worse off financially, emotionally, and relationship wise but hey they showed that SOB. Too many times the women get their advice from other divorced women.
“The fact is the overwhelming time the woman standard of living goes down the mans stays the same or goes up. Women need to learn that sometimes it better to stay together and get to share all the $$ and benefits or they can learn to live on 20% or less. But if they don’t want to then that their choice and don’t be bitter.”
It was not known Tuesday whether Maggio has any divorce cases pending before him.
In a thread someone titled “Vegas woman arrested for sex with pit bull,” geauxjudge wrote, “How old was the dog? Hey look if you can have TGGLBS sex the [then] it is just a small step to this. I wish I could say ‘I never’. But I once had a case where the couple argued over a German Shepard ..... For this reason. But nothing compares to the Parrot case....”
When another poster asked whether anyone knew anything about Van Buren and Fort Smith, geauxjudge replied, “Van Buren, Ark? They think Deliverance is a love story” - a reference to the 1972 film in which two hillbillies rape a businessman on a canoe trip. Another time, geauxjudge wrote, “Sex with animals.....been there, done that.... / signed/ Arkansas.”
Arkansas, Pages 9 on 03/05/2014