In Re Petition for Readmission of Harold Wayne Madden to the Arkansas Bar

Summary

The court denied Madden’s petition for readmission because his conviction for misprision of a felony was a Serious Crime and did not fall within the rule’s exception for offenses involving only negligence or recklessness. The court held that affirmative concealment is an element of the offense and that Madden could not introduce evidence inconsistent with the offense to which he had pleaded guilty. Justice Danielson, joined by Justice Corbin, dissented, concluding that Madden’s rehabilitation and the public interest warranted readmission despite the rule’s application.