Ex-lawmaker ineligible for House seat, Pulaski County judge rules

FILE - The Pulaski County courthouse in downtown Little Rock is shown in this 2019 file photo.
FILE - The Pulaski County courthouse in downtown Little Rock is shown in this 2019 file photo.

A Pulaski County circuit judge ruled that Democrat Jimmie Wilson is ineligible to serve in the state House of Representatives based on the state constitution, but the court will stay parts of its judgment pending an appeal in the Arkansas Supreme Court.

Wilson is seeking election to the District 12 seat, running against Republican David Tollett. The state Republican Party challenged Wilson's eligibility in an Oct. 15 lawsuit, alleging that his misdemeanor convictions for illegal use of federal farm loans and selling mortgaged crops nearly 30 years ago make him ineligible for office under a 2016 amendment to the state's constitution barring people who have been convicted of crimes involving "deceit, fraud or false statement."

In a court filing Monday, Judge Mackie Pierce said Wilson was convicted of crimes that disqualify him from serving in the Arkansas General Assembly under Section 9 of the state constitution.

The court also found that Wilson's pardon did not restore his eligibility to sit as a representative, Pierce wrote.

Wilson was convicted in 1991 and went on to serve several terms in the state legislature in the 1990s. He received a pardon from then-President Bill Clinton in 2001.

Pierce wrote that in light of attorneys for the Democratic Party of Arkansas stating that they would seek an immediate appeal, the court would put off deciding whether any votes for Wilson would be counted as well as the certification of the results of the election.

Read Tuesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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