36. Royalty

A year-end round-up of the year's significant local stories by the Pine Bluff Commercial ("First in Southeastern Arkansas") reminds us of Circuit Judge Fred D. Davis III, forced to resign following his conviction for tax evasion.  According to the final order of the Arkansas Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission, Davis bought a new Chevy Avalanche -- a hulking quasi-Hummer --for $35,029.21, and for the next 20 months drove it around either with no license plates or an expired dealer's tag.  By opting not to register the vehicle, he avoided paying gross receipts tax of $1,795.28.

Davis got himself stopped for DWI with an open beer in his truck, and one thing led to another.  At his tax-evasion trial he told the jury: "I had no intention to willfully avoid paying the tax. "  He just, uh, didn't pay it for 20 months.  Against his will.

The question that naturally arises about cases like Davis's is: how could they possibly think they could get away with it?  And the answer is: Well, he did.  He got away with driving a huge, conspicuous vehicle without tags while working in a building guarded by law enforcement officers and visited on a daily basis by more.  What smaller things did he get away with before that?  What confirmed him in his apparent belief than he was invulnerable?

 Even in the largest cities, weak-minded judges fall prey to the temptation to believe they deserve the exaggerated respect they are paid.  The temptation must be even greater in small cities like Pine Bluff, where the judge is also a local celebrity.  Being treated like royalty can hardly be good for one's mental health, as Britain's royal family and a parade of Hollywood stars seem determined to prove.  A drinking problem no doubt exacerbates the tendency to float a few inches above reality.

Besides, how does a judge on a $77,000 salary pay for a $35,000 vehicle? (Not to mention the cost of keeping its gas tank filled.)  "Out of touch with reality" might be the kindest explanation for Davis's driving habits.