Lee Munson, a former Little Rock judge and a twice-elected prosecutor who was an avid outdoorsman and known as "the people's judge," died on Thursday in Little Rock. He was 80.
The cause was congestive heart failure and kidney failure, said his son Eric Munson.
Munson retired in 2008 after a colorful and high-profile 30-year career on Little Rock's District Court and Pulaski County's Chancery Court.
Munson quickly gained a reputation as a fair but tough judge who treated lawyers in front of him as peers. He was quick and precise in the judgments he meted out, but also believed in second chances, said Little Rock lawyer Judd Kidd.
"He wasn't pompous or arrogant. He believed in rehabilitation. If you worked with him, he'd work with you," Kidd said. "I've known Lee since 1970. What really impressed me was he was very compassionate and understanding. Not only was he a very intelligent judge, but he had a lot of good common sense."
Eric Munson said his dad was a man of the people who had various friends and supporters from all walks of life and was a strong advocate for law enforcement and the black community.
"Collections went up in the courts. He reorganized the municipal judgeship there," Eric Munson said. "He would go with the police on raids. Dad always reached out to people that needed a hand up. He cared about the little guy."
Munson handled many high-profile cases.
In 1989, Munson ruled in favor of allowing black Little Rock restaurant owner and activist Robert "Say" McIntosh to burn the American flag on the steps of the state Capitol to bring attention to homelessness, drug abuse, racism and other social problems.
"My dad believed it was McIntosh's constitutional right to burn the flag," Eric Munson said. "He didn't agree with it personally, but he ruled to uphold the law of the land."
The ruling came a few years after McIntosh tipped over Munson's desk because the then-prosecuting attorney refused to back down when McIntosh confronted him about a criminal charge.
In 2008, Munson ruled against the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette when the newspaper asked him to reconsider his motion denying access to the jail records of Curtis Lavelle Vance, who at the time faced a capital-murder charge in the death of KATV, Channel 7, news anchor Anne Pressly in a home break-in. Vance was later convicted.
Munson wasn't a stranger to challenges in his life and in his career.
Before taking the bench, Munson served two terms from 1973 to 1978 as the Pulaski County prosecuting attorney. The spot opened when Jim Guy Tucker, who was the prosecutor at the time and eventually gained the governorship, was elected state attorney general.
Munson's opponent in that race was Roger Glasgow, a deputy attorney general. Glasgow accused Munson of being controlled by a corrupt political system that included Little Rock Mayor George Wimberly and police officials.
In 1972, Glasgow and his wife were arrested at the Mexican border when 24 pounds of marijuana wrapped in newspapers were found beneath the rear seat of their car.
Shortly after the arrest, a Little Rock cabdriver and police informant claimed that Munson helped an inebriated investment banker into the cab. The banker then bragged that he and Munson had "fixed up old Glasgow" at the border, according to The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture.
Glasgow later wrote a book -- Down and Dirty Down South: Politics and the Art of Revenge -- claiming that Munson and corrupt officials conspired to plant the drugs then alerted border agents.
Munson was born in Alberta, Canada, but moved to Booneville in the 1950s when his mother, Anna Marie Carr Munson, was placed in the sanatorium there for tuberculosis.
After her death, his father, Alfred Munson, moved to Florida, leaving behind Lee Munson and his siblings. Munson was taken into the home of Judge Paul Williams and his wife.
"My dad was born into a very poverty-stricken family," Eric Munson said. "Judge Williams raised him and helped him in his aspirations."
Little Rock cardiologist Dr. C.D. Williams said Munson was treated like "one of the kids" from the moment he arrived in their home. In high school, Williams and Munson would run projectors for elementary school teachers who couldn't work the equipment.
"We took advantage of the situation to get out of class," Williams said.
Munson, who graduated from Booneville High School, worked his way through school in the cafeteria of Arkansas Tech University in Russellville. Later, he earned a law degree from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.
He was a survivor who took responsibility for his life, his son said.
"He was a functional alcoholic, but he overcame it," Eric Munson said.
Munson was admonished in 1999 by the state Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission after he was arrested on I-430 in Little Rock for driving while intoxicated. His blood alcohol content was 0.192 percent, more than twice the legal limit.
"He was in his 60s. He fessed up," Eric Munson said. "He was upfront and just laid the cards out on the table and said, 'I've got a problem' and left it at that. He checked himself into rehab. We were very proud of him for that."
Eric Munson said his dad was an avid outdoorsman who frequently took him hunting and fishing. He was an involved father to his son and his daughter, Alissa Coffield. After retirement, Munson devoted his time to his wife, Alice Munson, and the couple's five grandchildren.
"He suffered a lot in the last couple of years, but he made an impact in his life," Eric Munson said. "He liked people and cared about people from all walks of life. He believed in justice. He believed in the system. Everybody respected Dad."
Metro on 12/23/2017