Arkansas
Judge won’t recuse himself in redistricting case
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A federal judge says he won’t recuse himself from hearing a lawsuit challenging Arkansas’ new state House maps, rejecting complaints from groups who cited his connections to the state’s Republican attorney general and governor.
U.S. District Judge Lee Rudofsky on Wednesday denied the motion to recuse by the Arkansas Public Policy Panel and the Arkansas State Conference NAACP. The groups have asked the judge to block the new state House maps, saying they dilute the strength of Black voters in Arkansas.
The groups cited campaign contributions Rudofsky made to Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, who along with Secretary of State John Thurston comprise the panel in charge of state legislative redistricting.
They also cited Rudofsky’s past work as solicitor general in Rutledge’s office.
Rudofsky said his impartiality couldn’t be reasonably questioned in the case and said he’s never discussed anything related to the redistricting plan with Rutledge.
Rudofsky earlier this week set a Jan. 27 hearing on the groups’ motion for a preliminary injunction against the redistricting map.
North Carolina
Physician indicted for altering medical devices
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A federal grand jury has indicted a North Carolina physician accused of altering medical devices for reuse and bilking Medicare out of more than $46 million, according to a federal prosecutor.
U.S. Attorney Michael Easley said that according to a superseding indictment, between 2014 and 2018, Anita Louise Jackson, 58, billed Medicare more than $46 million for allegedly administering more than 1,200 applications of balloon sinuplasty services to more than 700 patients. Her practice received more than $5.4 million for the services.
During the four-year period, Jackson was the top-paid provider of balloon sinuplasty in the U.S. despite the location of her practice outside of a major metropolitan area, authorities said, adding that Jackson made substantial money from the billings to the Medicare program.
Jackson faces multiple charges, including adulteration of medical devices, making false statements relating to health care benefits and mail fraud, according to a news release.
