Story highlights
State Supreme Court dismisses a judge over his comments on a social media site
The judge referred to a closed-record adoption involving actress Charlize Theron
Judge Michael Maggio also acknowledged posting comments in other cases
Maggio now cannot hold judicial office in Arkansas, according to the state Supreme Court
The top court in Arkansas has ordered the immediate dismissal of a judge who leaked confidential details about an adoption involving Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron, according to court documents.
Faulkner County Circuit Judge Michael Maggio admitted posting details from Theron’s closed-record adoption of a child in 2012 on “tigerdroppings.com,” a Louisiana State University fan site, using the online name “geauxjudge,” according to documents that a judicial commission submitted to the state Supreme Court.
Maggio commented in January 2012 that a friend of his handled a single-parent adoption case involving Theron, and that she came to court wearing a “long brown wig, oversized clothes” so as not to be recognized, the commission’s report says. He wrote online that he “offered to be the baby daddy,” documents said.
Theron is one of Hollywood’s top actors with roles in movies ranging from “Monster” and “Mighty Joe Young” to “North Country” and “Snow White and the Huntsman.” Efforts to reach Theron’s representatives were not successful Friday night.
Maggio’s published comments on the adoption case involving Theron are part of a report by the Arkansas Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission, which investigated claims against the circuit judge. Maggio has been on the bench in Arkansas since 2001.
The commission’s report includes five pages of comments Maggio made in the social media forum on other cases under the username “geauxjudge,” including statements on various aspects of gender, race and sexuality issues. The report concluded that he had violated at least 23 judicial codes.
In March, after the identity of “geauxjudge” was confirmed to be Maggio, he said in a statement: “I take full responsibility for the comments that have been attributed to me. I apologize deeply for my lapse in personal judgment and for that, I have no excuse.
“The comments posted were not acceptable. These comments are not a reflection of who I am,” the judge’s statement said, according to CNN affiliate KATV.
The Arkansas Supreme Court order prohibits Maggio from holding any judicial office in that state and orders him to be removed from office without pay.
CNN’s Philip Gast and Carolyn Sung contributed to this story.