The Arkansas judge who posted private details of Charlize Theron 's adoption of her son has been forced to hand in his law licence because of a bribery conviction in a separate case . By surrendering his licence , circuit Judge Michael Maggio has avoided a disciplinary hearing over the conviction , for which he faces up to 10 years in prison and a $ 250,000 fine when he is sentenced in July . Maggio , 52 , sparked controversy last March when he admitted posting a series of comments that were racist , sexist and offensive towards the LGBT community over the past several years . Charlize Theron pictured with Jackson , the boy she adopted from her native South Africa . Michael Maggio revealed the Hollywood actress had adopted two months before she announced it publically . Theron with her partner Sean Penn . Maggio initially pretended a friend had been the judge who oversaw the star 's adoption hearing . Using the under the pseudonym 'geauxjudge ' , Maggio made the comments on the on a Louisiana State University fan message board . His comments in January 2012 divulged details of Theron 's adoption - two months before she publicly released the information . On the message board , Maggio said a 'judge friend ' had handled Theron 's adoption , before admitting that he was also involved in the case . When a poster asked if she had adopted a black child , he said that she had . Such proceedings are confidential in Arkansas . Theron adopted the boy , Jackson , from her native South Africa . In a June 2011 posting , 'geauxjudge ' suggested that women who seek divorces after their husbands cheat may be better off financially by staying married . ' I see it everyday , ' he wrote . ' A woman makes ( an ) emotional decision to divorce because the husband stepped out . When otherwise he was a good provider , father , and husband . 'Then a year or two later realizes uh oh I am worse off financially , emotionally and relationship wise but hey they showed that SOB . Too many times the women get their advice from other divorced women . ' In another , Maggio , who has three sons and two daughters from a previous relationship and lives with his partner , Dawn , made derogatory comments about women , saying they needed to take care of a man 's two basic needs for sex and food , adding : 'It takes two to pull the wagon ' . Responding to a story about a woman who was arrested for allegedly having sex with a dog , 'geauxjudge ' wrote that it was 'just a small step ' from having 'TGGLBS ' sex , an apparent reference to transgender , gay , lesbian or bisexual sex . Two months after he pleaded guilty to federal bribery charges Maggio filed a request with the Arkansas Supreme Court in March to voluntarily surrender his law licence in order to 'avoid the expense , stress and publicity of further addressing his [ bribery ] conviction ' , according to court notes . Now he has been completely barred from practising law in Arkansas and removed from the state 's registry of licensed attorneys . A call to his lawyer for comment by the Associated Press was not immediately returned yesterday . Theron with Jackson in LA in February . Adoption proceedings are confidential in Arkansas but Maggio leaked details of the actress 's hearing . Maggio , who has five children from a previous relationship , is pictured with his partner , Dawn , left and right . Postings on the website TigerDroppings.com show Maggio discussing confidential information about Theron 's adoption application . Prosecutors in Maggio 's bribery case said he accepted campaign donations from nursing home owner Michael Morton and a lobbyist in exchange for reducing a jury award in a negligence case . In that case , Maggio reduced the jury award from $ 5.2 million to $ 1 million in a lawsuit stemming from the death of a nursing home patient . Campaign finance records showed Morton 's political action committees contributed money to Maggio 's campaign for the Arkansas Court of Appeals . The family of the woman who died , Martha Bull , filed a lawsuit late last year against Maggio , nursing home owner Michael Morton and lobbyist Gilbert Baker protesting the reduction of the award . A circuit court judge dismissed Maggio from the civil case last month , but not the other two defendants , saying Maggio had judicial immunity because he was acting in his official capacity as a judge .
Michael Maggio is already banned for life from holding judicial office for revealing actress 's adoption of boy two months before she went public . Posted on Theron sports forum in 2012 that Louisiana State University had applied to take on the youngster in same court division where he served . As 'geauxjudge ' he also posted derogatory comments about women . Faces prison sentence of 10 years and $ 250,000 fine for bribery conviction .