Arkansas Court of Appeals

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Arkansas Court of Appeals
Seal of Arkansas.svg
Seal of Arkansas
Arkansas Court of Appeals
34°44′44.85″N92°17′27.51″W / 34.7457917°N 92.2909750°W / 34.7457917; -92.2909750
Established1979 (1979)
Jurisdiction Arkansas
Location Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
Coordinates 34°44′44.85″N92°17′27.51″W / 34.7457917°N 92.2909750°W / 34.7457917; -92.2909750
Authorised by Arkansas Constitution
Appeals to United States Supreme Court
Website Official website
Chief Judge
CurrentlyMark Klappenbach
SinceJanuary 1, 2025 (2025-01-01) [1]
Lead position endsJanuary 1, 2029 (2029-01-01) [1]

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.

Contents

Jurisdiction

The jurisdiction of the Arkansas Court of Appeals is determined by the Arkansas Supreme Court. 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. [2]

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 Decisions. [3]

Judges

Originally, there were six judges on the court, this number was expanded by legislation 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.

As of January 15, 2024 the judges currently on the court are: [4]

DistrictPositionJudgeFirst electedLaw school
1st1Raymond R. Abramson2014 Arkansas
2Cindy Thyer2022Arkansas
2nd1Bart Virden2014Arkansas
2Mike Murphy2016Arkansas
3rd1Robert J. Gladwin2002Arkansas
2Kenneth Hixson2022Arkansas
4th1Brandon Harrison2012Arkansas
2Stephanie Potter Barrett2020Arkansas
5th–Mark Klappenbach, Chief Judge2016 Arkansas - Little Rock
6th1Casey R. Tucker2024Arkansas
2 Wendy Wood 2022Arkansas - Little Rock
7th–Waymond M. Brown2008Arkansas - Little Rock

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Kienlen, Alex (January 7, 2025). "Mark Klappenbach appointed chief judge of Arkansas Court of Appeals". KARK. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  2. ↑ See Ark. Sup. Ct. R. 1–2
  3. ↑ Ark. Sup. Ct. R. 5-2(c)
  4. ↑ "Court of Appeals Judges". Arkansas Judiciary. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
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