Ethics complaint targets state Supreme Court Justice Rhonda Wood

A complaint filed against Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Rhonda Wood has accused her of violating judicial ethics by telling then-Circuit Judge Michael Maggio in 2014 to delete certain text messages. The Arkansas Public Law Center filed the complaint with the…

Former judge Mike Maggio released from federal prison

Former Faulkner County Circuit Judge Mike Maggio has been released from federal prison after serving less than half of a 10-year sentence for bribery. The development is the latest in a long-running and complex criminal case that dates back to…

Former Conway lawmaker to face retrial on federal bribery charges

Federal prosecutors plan to retry former lobbyist and political fundraiser Gilbert Baker on bribery and other charges after a mistrial earlier this month. Chief U.S. District Judge D. Price Marshall Jr. on Friday set the retrial to begin in Little…

Defense rests in Gilbert Baker bribery trial

In addition to testimony jurors have heard over the past two weeks, they have a mountain of documents available for review: phone records, texts, records of donations and payments from various lobbying organizations, and a forensic analysis of those expenditures.

Juror sent home with COVID, but political bribery trial moves forward

The long-awaited bribery trial of former state Sen. Gilbert Baker, a former Republican lobbyist from Conway, began Monday with news that a juror had contracted the coronavirus. The unidentified juror had been present for jury selection Friday and contacted the…

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