PORTLAND – A Chicago law student filed a misconduct complaint against a Portland probate judge linked to the release of information about George W. Bush’s 1976 drunken driving arrest in Kennebunkport.

The complaint, filed with the Maine Committee on Judicial Responsibility and Disability, alleges that William Childs unethically used his office as Cumberland County register of probate to obtain archived court records to maliciously injure Bush’s presidential campaign.

Complainant Eugene Koprowski asked that the committee schedule a public disciplinary hearing and impose unspecified sanctions.

Word of Bush’s arrest surfaced Nov. 2 and created a storm of headlines five days before the election. Republicans said the release of the information at such a time was a Democratic dirty trick.

Tom Connolly, a Portland lawyer and Democratic activist, acknowledged that he had tipped off reporters about the 24-year-old misdemeanor. He said he got the information from a “public figure” he would not identify. Media reports later implicated Childs.