LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — The Arkansas Democratic Party is moving forward with a lawsuit claiming former lawmaker and Harlem Globetrotter Fred Smith is ineligible to run for his old seat because of a felony theft conviction despite a judge's order effectively clearing Smith's criminal record.
Democratic Party Spokeswoman Candace Martin said Friday that the party won't drop its lawsuit seeking to block Smith from the primary ballot for an east Arkansas House seat. Martin said the party maintains Smith was a convicted felon at the time he filed for the seat.
A Chicot County judge on Wednesday dismissed the felony theft case against Smith. The judge ruled Smith complied with the conditions of his sentence he was given when he was found guilty last year of theft of property delivered by mistake.
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