A Cross County judge under investigation for judicial misconduct issued a seven-page denial of multiple allegations that range from improper payments to sexual misconduct and child pornography.
District Court Judge Joseph Boeckmann delivered his response to the Arkansas Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission through his lawyer, Jeff Rosenzweig, on Tuesday.
Boeckmann had 30 days to respond to the charges filed by the commission Nov. 17, which alleged that Boeckmann broke 14 judicial ethics rules.
Among the allegations brought by the commission, Boeckmann is accused of verbally abusing people in his courtroom, failing to recuse himself from cases involving business partners of his family and seeking out young white men in his courtroom for sexual favors.
Boeckmann is also under investigation for possessing child pornography after a witness claimed to have seen the images on the judge's computer, according to allegations written by the commission.
Boeckmann "generally and specifically denies" all allegations brought by the commission, Rosenzweig wrote.
Boeckmann confirmed he wrote checks to lawyers who appeared in his courtroom, which he said was an "unavoidable consequence of being a part-time judge with a private law practice in a small town."
Boeckmann also said he paid fines for "friends and acquaintances" who were not required to appear before his court but said those payments were not improper because the the amount of the fines was preset.
The judicial commission does not have the power to remove Boeckmann from the bench, but Arkansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Howard Brill ordered last month to have a special judge temporarily preside over Boeckmann's court.
