Ethics Review Leads to Ruling & Fine Against Judge Baker
The Arkansas Ethics Commission has completed its work on the electioneering complaint FCR filed last November against Faulkner County Judge Jim Baker for using taxpayer-funded email for campaigning for re-election in 2018.
Finding that Judge Baker violated Arkansas law when he used “items of personal property provided with public funds for campaign purposes,” the Commission pursued a settlement where Judge Baker agreed to accept a Public Letter of Caution and pay a $100 fine.
FCR filed suit in this matter when Judge Baker refused to hand over copies of all his government email from August 1 to October 25 per our October 25 FOIA, despite readily providing similar emails to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
We prevailed in that lawsuit and, after receiving the requested emails, we filed the ethics complaint on November 9, 2018.
The Ethics Commission’s official finding:
In your capacity as Faulkner County Judge and the incumbent candidate for Faulkner County Judge in the 2018 election cycle, you violated Ark. Code Ann. 7-1-103(a)(3)(A) by using a County cell phone and email account in connection with approximately ten (10) email exchanges involving campaign related matters.
As the Public Letter of Caution states:
As part of its disposition of this matter, the Commission is hereby issuing you this Public Letter of Caution which is advisory in nature and serves to give clear notice that your conduct violated the law. You are advised not to engage in the same activity again.
Faulkner County Reports will not disregard the misuse of taxpayer resources across the County. We remain committed to pursuing ethics, transparency, and accountability in Faulkner County government.
As such, we are disappointed that we had to file the ethics complaint and moreover, that we had to resort to a lawsuit to obtain the public records leading to the complaint. Faulkner County can do better!
Documents:
- Arkansas Ethics Commission Public Letter of Caution citing Judge Baker’s illegal use of county resources in 2018 campaign
- Arkansas Ethics Commission notice of findings and fine against Judge Baker for using county resources in 2018 campaign
- Arkansas Ethics Commission complaint against Judge Baker for using county resources in 2018 campaign
- Judge’s Order: Faulkner County violated FOIA by not releasing emails
- Lawsuit filed against Judge Baker to compel production of requested public records (emails)
- FOIA Request 10/25/18: Baker email on county account
- Judge Baker campaign email to Don Bradley (and others) on county email account
