Arkansas Court of Appeals
Encyclopedia
The Arkansas Court of Appeals is the intermediate appellate court
for the state
of Arkansas
. It was created in 1978 by Amendment 58 of the Arkansas Constitution
, which was implemented by Act 208 of the Arkansas General Assembly
in 1979. The court handed down its first opinions for publication on August 8, 1979.
. There is no right of appeal from the Arkansas Court of Appeals to the Arkansas Supreme Court. However, opinions decided by the court may be reviewed by the Arkansas Supreme Court under three circumstances: on application by a party
to the appeal, upon certification of the Arkansas Court of Appeals, or if the Arkansas Supreme Court decides the case is one that should have originally been assigned to it.
.
to nine and then twelve. The first judges of the court were appointed by Bill Clinton
, during his first term as Governor of Arkansas. The judges are now elected in staggered terms of eight years in a statewide, non-partisan election.
The state of Arkansas is divided into seven districts for the election of judges to the Arkansas Court of Appeals, under Act 1812 of 2003. The qualifications for sitting on the Arkansas Court of Appeals are the same as for the Arkansas Supreme Court.
The judges currently on the court are:
Appellate court
An appellate court, commonly called an appeals court or court of appeals or appeal court , is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal...
for the 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...
. It was created in 1978 by Amendment 58 of 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...
, which was implemented by Act 208 of 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...
in 1979. The court handed down its first opinions for publication on August 8, 1979.
Jurisdiction
The jurisdiction of the Arkansas Court of Appeals is determined by the Arkansas Supreme CourtArkansas Supreme Court
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 Justices, and at times Special Justices are called upon in the absence of a regular justice...
. There is no right of appeal from the Arkansas Court of Appeals to the Arkansas Supreme Court. However, opinions decided by the court may be reviewed by the Arkansas Supreme Court under three circumstances: on application by a party
Party (law)
A party is a person or group of persons that compose a single entity which can be identified as one for the purposes of the law. Parties include: plaintiff , defendant , petitioner , respondent , cross-complainant A party is a person or group of persons that compose a single entity which can be...
to the appeal, upon certification of the Arkansas Court of Appeals, or if the Arkansas Supreme Court decides the case is one that should have originally been assigned to it.
Opinions
The Arkansas Court of Appeals issues a large number of opinions, but does not publish all of them. Instead, only those opinions that "resolve novel or unusual questions" are released for publication by the state's Reporter of DecisionsReporter of decisions
The Reporter of Decisions is the official responsible for publishing the decisions of a court. Traditionally, the decisions were published in books known as case reporters or law reports...
.
Judges
Originally, there were six judges on the court, this number was expanded by legislationLegislation
Legislation is law which has been promulgated by a legislature or other governing body, or the process of making it...
to nine and then twelve. The first judges of the court were appointed by Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, during his first term as Governor of Arkansas. The judges are now elected in staggered terms of eight years in a statewide, non-partisan election.
The state of Arkansas is divided into seven districts for the election of judges to the Arkansas Court of Appeals, under Act 1812 of 2003. The qualifications for sitting on the Arkansas Court of Appeals are the same as for the Arkansas Supreme Court.
The judges currently on the court are:
- Chief Judge John Mauzy Pittman, District 1
- Judge D. Price Marshall, Jr., District 1
- Judge Josephine Linker Hart, District 2
- Judge Karen R. Baker, District 2
- Judge Robert J. Gladwin, District 3
- Judge Sarah J. Heffley, District 3
- Judge John B. Robbins, District 4
- Judge David M. Glover, District 4
- Judge Sam Bird, District 5
- Judge Wendell L. Griffen, District 6
- Judge Larry D. Vaught, District 6
- Judge Brian S. Miller (temporarily replaced by Judge Eugene Hunt until January 1, 2009), District 7