Arkansas Supreme Court
Encyclopedia
The Arkansas Supreme Court is the highest court
in the U.S. state
of Arkansas
. Since 1925, it has consisted of a Chief Justice
and six Associate Justice
s, and at times Special Justices are called upon in the absence of a regular justice. The Justices are elected in a non-partisan election for eight-year-long terms that are staggered to make it unlikely that the entire court would be replaced in a single election. Any vacancy caused by a Justice not finishing his or her term is filled by an appointment made by the Governor of Arkansas.
The current Arkansas Supreme Court includes:
Under the state's first constitution, the Arkansas Supreme Court consisted of three judges including one Chief Justice, and all three of whom were elected by the Arkansas General Assembly
. The first judges elected to the court by the Assembly were Daniel Ringo
as Chief Justice (who served from 1836 to 1844), Townsend Dickinson (who served until 1842), and Thomas J. Lacy (whose term lasted until 1845).
No change to the court's size occurred after Reconstruction, but the Arkansas Constitution
of 1874 was amended in 1924 (Amendment 9) to add two more judges and allow the Assembly to increase the number to seven, which it did a year later by Act 205 of 1925.
State supreme court
In the United States, the state supreme court is the highest state court in the state court system ....
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
. Since 1925, it has consisted of a Chief Justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
and six Associate Justice
Associate Justice
Associate Justice or Associate Judge is the title for a member of a judicial panel who is not the Chief Justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the United States Supreme Court and some state supreme courts, and for some other courts in Commonwealth...
s, and at times Special Justices are called upon in the absence of a regular justice. The Justices are elected in a non-partisan election for eight-year-long terms that are staggered to make it unlikely that the entire court would be replaced in a single election. Any vacancy caused by a Justice not finishing his or her term is filled by an appointment made by the Governor of Arkansas.
The current Arkansas Supreme Court includes:
- Chief Justice James Hannah
- Associate Justice Donald L. Corbin
- Associate Justice Courtney Hudson Henry
- Associate Justice Jim Gunter
- Associate Justice Paul DanielsonPaul DanielsonPaul E. Danielson is an Arkansas Supreme Court justice. He first got into office in 2006. He was previously the Circuit Judge for Arkansas's 15th Judicial Circuit.-Education:...
- Associate Justice Karen R. Baker
- Associate Justice Robert L. BrownRobert L. Brown (Arkansas)-Biography:Brown was born in Houston, Texas on June 30, 1941, received a B.A. in 1963 from the University of the South , magna cum laude, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Justice Brown received his M.A. in English and Comparative Literature in 1965 from Columbia University, and a J.D. in...
Under the state's first constitution, the Arkansas Supreme Court consisted of three judges including one Chief Justice, and all three of whom were elected by the Arkansas General Assembly
Arkansas General Assembly
The Arkansas General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of the upper house Arkansas Senate with 35 members, and the lower Arkansas House of Representatives with 100 members. All 135 representatives and state senators...
. The first judges elected to the court by the Assembly were Daniel Ringo
Daniel Ringo
Daniel Ringo was a United States federal judge in Arkansas who sided with the Confederacy during the American Civil War.-Biography:Born in Cross Plains, Kentucky, Ringo read law to enter the Bar in 1830...
as Chief Justice (who served from 1836 to 1844), Townsend Dickinson (who served until 1842), and Thomas J. Lacy (whose term lasted until 1845).
No change to the court's size occurred after Reconstruction, but the Arkansas Constitution
Arkansas Constitution
The Constitution of the State of Arkansas is the governing document of the U.S. state of Arkansas. It was adopted in 1874, shortly after the Brooks-Baxter War replacing the 1868 constitution that had allowed Arkansas to rejoin the Union after the conclusion of the American Civil War; the new...
of 1874 was amended in 1924 (Amendment 9) to add two more judges and allow the Assembly to increase the number to seven, which it did a year later by Act 205 of 1925.