Arkansas

Lawyer arrested at state bar meeting for carrying petitions reaches settlement

An Arkansas lawyer who was arrested for carrying ballot petitions at a state bar meeting in June 2024 has reached an out-of-court settlement that calls for payment of $200,000 to her lawyers.

Jan 22, 2025 2:58 PM CST

State chief justice with ‘millions of reasons’ to fire court employees can’t do so unilaterally, top Arkansas court says

The Arkansas Supreme Court stepped in Friday, when the state’s new chief justice tried to fire nearly a dozen employees, including the director of the Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts.

Jan 7, 2025 3:37 PM CST

Arkansas justices refer each other for discipline in FOIA tiff

Updated: A Freedom of Information Act request for an Arkansas justice’s emails has led to a tossed lawsuit and a spate of ethics referrals.

Oct 1, 2024 3:16 PM CDT

GOP states sue to end Biden’s student loan forgiveness rule

Seven Republican-led states sued on Tuesday to block President Joe Biden’s new policy to reduce or eliminate the student loan balances of millions of borrowers, claiming the Education Department is illegally preparing to start debt cancellation before the rule is finalized.

Sep 5, 2024 12:00 PM CDT

Supreme Court keeps block on Biden’s new Title IX regulations in some states

A divided Supreme Court refused to require some states to enforce new rules on how schools should handle complaints of sexual harassment and discrimination, leaving in place a ban on the provisions while lower-court battles continue.

Aug 20, 2024 9:45 AM CDT

‘Unlocked’ shows how open cells and phone access can help inmates make better choices

The premise that Sheriff Eric Higgins would allow a select pod of his jail at the Pulaski County Regional Detention Facility in Little Rock, Arkansas, to be “unlocked” for six weeks seemed more of a publicity stunt than a social experiment.

May 23, 2024 8:59 AM CDT

Lawyer who missed deposition while viewing solar eclipse should pay $7,800 sanction, litigant says

The additional cost of viewing a total solar eclipse in Arkansas could amount to more than $7,800 for a Florida lawyer who missed a deposition with his client.

May 16, 2024 9:34 AM CDT

Lawyer shot while allegedly trying to rob armored car

An Arkansas lawyer was taken to the hospital Wednesday after he was allegedly shot by an armored car employee during an attempted robbery, according to Little Rock, Arkansas, police.

Apr 29, 2024 10:51 AM CDT

In ‘catastrophic’ ruling for minority voters, 8th Circuit says only US can sue for discriminatory voting practices

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at St. Louis ruled Monday that private plaintiffs cannot sue for alleged violations of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which bans voting practices and procedures that deny or abridge the right to vote on the basis of race or color.

Nov 20, 2023 3:26 PM CST

Federal judge wants clerks to confirm they aren’t part of antisemitic or Islamophobic groups

A federal judge in Little Rock, Arkansas, is asking his incoming law clerks and interns whether they have done anything—or belonged to groups that did anything—that could be construed as celebrating or condoning the “massacre perpetrated by Hamas in Israel.”

Nov 10, 2023 1:42 PM CST

Former ABA President Philip S. Anderson dies at 88

Updated: Former ABA President Philip S. Anderson Jr. of Little Rock, Arkansas, died Tuesday at age 88. Anderson died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease, his family said.

Aug 16, 2023 12:37 PM CDT

3 judges block state restrictions on gender-affirming health care in 1 week’s time

Within a one-week period, federal judges have blocked laws in three states that restrict gender-affirming health care for transgender people.

Jun 22, 2023 11:22 AM CDT

Former BigLaw attorney pleads guilty to stealing from estate

A suspended Memphis, Tennessee, lawyer has pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud for stealing $124,000 from the estate of a former client.

Mar 21, 2023 8:33 AM CDT

Weekly Briefs: Judge slashes $24M award for Unite the Right victims; judge accused of offering sex for early trial

Judge slashes $24M punitive award in Unite the Right trial U.S. District Judge Norman K. Moon of the Western District of Virginia has slashed an award of $24 million in punitive damages assessed against white supremacists associated with the violent 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Moon said…

Jan 6, 2023 2:04 PM CST

Meet 12 ABA members who inspired us in 2022

In this year’s Members Who Inspire series, the ABA Journal featured 12 extraordinary ABA members who go to great lengths to embolden their clients, colleagues and members of the communities around them. Their work includes helping immigrants with tax issues, advocating for individuals living with HIV/AIDS and addressing racial injustice and inequality.

Dec 14, 2022 8:38 AM CST