Arkansas - Democrats change rules to block Dobbins from ballot (after criminal plea agreement)

ArkansasNews.com ^ | July 20, 2008 | Jeremy Peppas

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Excerpt -

LITTLE ROCK - Taking steps to keep one of its own out of the Legislature, the Democratic Party of Arkansas changed its rules Saturday and refused to certify former state Rep. Dwayne Dobbins for the November general election ballot.

At their state convention, Democrats approved a rewrite of party rules to disqualify any person who has resigned from public office as a provision of a plea agreement to avoid felony prosecution from being certified for the ballot.

Dobbins, of North Little Rock, was the only candidate to file this spring for the House seat he resigned in 2005 in a plea agreement after being accused of fondling a teenage girl. He was originally charged with a felony but pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and gave up his legislative post as part of the plea deal with prosecutors.

"We've adopted the rules and he's off the ballot," state Democratic Chairman Bill Gwatney said Saturday.

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"This isn't about Dwayne Dobbins," Gwatney said Saturday. "We shouldn't as a party allow someone who has resigned their office as a condition of their plea agreement, then turn around and allow them to be our nominee."

Bill Clinton made a criminal plea ageement with Independent Counsel Robert Ray when he left office and had his law license suspended.

Under the new rule, Bill Clinton is now banned from running as a Democrat in Arkansas in the future.

[rrrod]

Clinton, Huckabee and now this clown...is there something in the water?

[Paleo Conservative]

I guess that since it involves a DemocRAT controlled legislature, there's no problem with this being an ex post facto law.

[lowbridge]

bump