A northwest Arkansas judge who ordered that attack ads critical of Supreme Court Justice Courtney Goodson be taken off the air this week reported receiving income, through his wife, from the law firm of Goodson’s husband.
Washington County Circuit Court Judge Doug Martin issued a temporary restraining order Monday afternoon against several television stations in the area that had been airing ads that Goodson alleged to be “false, misleading, and defamatory.”
Courtney Goodson is married to class-action attorney John Goodson, a partner at the Texarkana firm of Keil & Goodson.
In his 2017 statement of financial interest report, Martin reported that his wife, Amy, earned more than $12,500 for legal services performed at Keil & Goodson. Statements of financial interest don’t give specific amounts of compensation but rather whether compensation is at least a specific amount.
A phone call to the judge’s chambers in Fayetteville was not returned Tuesday.
Martin’s order came in the midst of Goodson’s re-election campaign for a seat on the high court. In that race, both she and another opponent, Court of Appeals Judge Kenneth Hixson, have been the target of hundreds of thousands of dollars in TV ads paid for by out-of-state groups.
Goodson on Monday also filed a lawsuit aimed at halting some attack ads in the Little Rock area, and a judge was scheduled to hold a hearing in that case Friday morning. Goodson filed a third lawsuit Tuesday to halt the ads in the Fort Smith area.
A third candidate in the race, Department of Human Services attorney David Sterling, has denied any affiliation with the ads.
Read Wednesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.