A former central Arkansas circuit court judge has voluntarily surrendered his license to avoid a disciplinary hearing.
The Arkansas Supreme Court accepted the surrender Thursday from Michael Maggio, barring him from practicing law in Arkansas. The Faulkner County judge pleaded guilty to bribery earlier this year.
Maggio pleaded guilty in January for accepting campaign donations from a nursing home owner and a lobbyist in exchange for reducing the award from a wrongful death lawsuit. He faces up to 10 years in prison.
The family of the woman who died in the nursing home filed a separate lawsuit against Maggio because he reduced a jury award of $5.2 million to $1 million. A judge dismissed that lawsuit in March, saying Maggio has judicial immunity.
