Arkansas

Man Quit Job, Then Killed Arkansas Democratic Party Chair, Police Say

The 51-year-old man who police say killed the Arkansas Democratic Party Chair at party headquarters yesterday had just quit his job at a Target discount store hours earlier. Timothy Dale Johnson, who police say shot and killed Bill Gwatney, 49, before being killed himself in a police shootout, had an…

Aug 14, 2008 9:15 PM CDT

Ark. Democratic Party Chair is Murdered

The chairman of the Arkansas Democratic Party reportedly died today, hours after he was shot at party headquarters. The nearby state Capitol was locked down for an hour after the shooting, until lawmakers received word that the alleged gunman was not at large, reports the Associated Press. At that point,…

Aug 13, 2008 9:34 PM CDT

Outspoken Arkansas Appeals Judge Loses Election

An appeals judge in Arkansas who fought for the right to criticize President Bush has lost his re-election bid. Wendell Griffen “lost decisively,” the Associated Press reports. Last year a state judicial discipline panel dropped charges against the outspoken Griffen for remarks made outside the courtroom. The ethics complaint had…

May 22, 2008 12:21 PM CDT

Lawyer’s ‘Whopper’ Lie About Stabbing Yields Reprimand

A lawyer’s “whopper” of a lie about the person who stabbed him has resulted in a written reprimand. At the time of the incident, lawyer Calon Blackburn Jr. worked as a civilian legal adviser to the Army in Qatar on administrative law, contracts and other matters, the Associated Press reports.…

May 21, 2008 11:50 AM CDT

Arkansas Law Dean Wants to be Known as Lawyer of Faith

The woman who became the first African-American dean of the University of Arkansas law school is an expert in labor and employment law. But Cynthia Nance draws on her Lutheran background as well as her legal education. Nance is committed to public service and wants to be known as a…

May 1, 2008 4:01 PM CDT

Law Prof Sues Students, Says They Defamed Him by Calling Him a Racist

A constitutional law professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock has filed a defamation suit against two students that says they wrongly accused him of being a racist. The suit by Richard Peltz says he took part in a legitimate debate on affirmative action at the invitation of…

May 1, 2008 10:47 AM CDT

Suit By 308-Pound Inmate Says He Is ‘Literally Being Starved to Death’

A 308-pound inmate who lost more than 100 pounds since being jailed eight months ago on a murder charge claims he isn’t being fed enough. Broderick Lloyd Laswell, who is in an Arkansas jail awaiting trial on a charge of murder, seeks more food and hot meals, the Morning News…

Apr 28, 2008 12:55 PM CDT

Evicted by Library, Ark. Judge Holds Court in Hallway

A judge in Pine Bluff, Ark., has faced one of the biggest challenges of his career in recent weeks: hearing misdemeanor cases without a courtroom. Concerned about safety issues and citing a problem with police parking in prime spaces, the local library terminated at the end of 2007 a lease…

Apr 7, 2008 8:14 PM CDT

Ark. Reinstates Minimum Marriage Age

It took a bit of time, but Arkansas has reinstated its minimum marriage age after becoming the butt of jokes when it inadvertently enacted legislation that would allow even toddlers to marry. The corrected legislation was signed into law Wednesday by Gov. Mike Beebe, the Associated Press reports. At issue…

Apr 3, 2008 6:40 PM CDT

Bullied at School for Years, Billy Wolfe Brings Suit, With His Parents’ Help

How is it that a student can be bullied at school, for years, without officials taking effective action to end the situation? A lengthy article in today’s New York Times attempts to answer that question, by telling the story of Billy Wolfe, from his own and his parents’ viewpoint. Now…

Mar 24, 2008 11:58 PM CDT

Speeding Lawyer Not Fast Enough on Her Feet With Court Excuse

An Arkansas lawyer is facing a contempt of court charge after reportedly telling a Carroll County judge she couldn’t appear before him the next day because she was in St. Louis, awaiting a federal appeals court hearing. But after Cindy Baker was ticketed for speeding the next morning in northwest…

Mar 3, 2008 11:30 PM CST

Court Finds No 1st Amendment Right to Witness Full Execution

A federal judge in Arkansas has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a group of journalists seeking access to report all stages of the execution process. Noting that state law provides that executions are private rather than public events and that only one federal appeals court has recognized a public right…

Jan 12, 2008 12:46 AM CST

Opinionated Judge’s Suit Against Discipline Body Tossed

A federal judge has dismissed a judge’s lawsuit against the Arkansas Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission for prosecuting him over remarks he made outside the courtroom. U.S. District Judge David Doty ruled Oct. 24 that the suit by appeals judge Wendell Griffen was moot because the commission had dropped charges…

Nov 5, 2007 12:41 PM CST

Pearl Jam Singer Benefit Funds Exculpatory DNA Tests

DNA tests funded with help from the lead singer of Pearl Jam have revealed that none of the teens convicted of killing three 8-year-old Arkansas boys in 1993 left genetic material on the bodies. The DNA report said genetic material from an unidentified person was left on one victim, the…

Oct 30, 2007 12:39 PM CDT

Opinionated Judge Wins Ethics Case

Arkansas appeals judge Wendell Griffen has won his battle with a state judicial conduct commission over comments he made criticizing the Bush administration. The Arkansas Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission ruled Griffen had a First Amendment right to discuss “disputed political or legal issues” in public speeches, the New York…

Oct 2, 2007 6:26 PM CDT