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Will Hutchinson’s Reagan-like stance persuade GOP voters?
As Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s term nears its end, he’s taking nearly every advantage to polish his presidential bona fides. Just last week, former President Donald Trump gave Hutchinson an excellent opportunity to remind his party, and the nation, that true leaders don’t take meetings with public racists or antisemites. In an appearance on CNN’s […]
Another mind-numbing mass murder brings reflection
Shocked? No. Resigned? Maybe. Numb? I hope not. The slaughter continues. On the heels of two multiple murders on or near college campuses in Virginia and Idaho the week of Nov. 12 comes news of a mass shooting at a Colorado Springs nightclub catering to the LGBTQ+ community on Nov. 19. A gunman entered Club […]
Gretchen Conger to be Sanders’ chief of staff
Gretchen Conger will be Gov.-elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ chief of staff in the governor’s office, Sanders announced Tuesday. Sanders also announced that she will transfer more than $2.5 million from her 2022 gubernatorial campaign treasury to her 2026 reelection campaign and named campaign manager Chris Caldwell as senior advisor to the reelection campaign. Conger, who […]
Arkansas’ request for rehearing on gender-law injunction denied
A temporary halt on enforcement of Arkansas’ ban on gender-affirming care for minors remains in effect after a federal appeals court on Wednesday denied the state’s request for a rehearing. In August, a three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s injunction that blocked implementation of Act 626 of […]
Arkansas power politics at its most raw and most sublime
As an exercise of raw power, a rule change that limits Democrats to two seats on any of the Arkansas Senate’s standing committees likely won’t shake many rafters. But the move did draw reaction from state Rep. David Ray (R-Maumelle) on Twitter: This is a smart, commonsense move by the Arkansas Senate. Proportional representation on […]
Robin Wynne secures second term on Arkansas Supreme Court
Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Robin Wynne overcame a strong challenge from Circuit Judge Chris Carnahan to win reelection to the high court’s Position 2 in Tuesday’s election. Wynne finished with 58.4% of the vote to Carnahan’s 41.6%, according to the Secretary of State’s election results website. With 73 of 75 counties reporting as of Wednesday, […]
John Boozman sails to victory for third term in U.S. Senate
Arkansas U.S. Sen. John Boozman won a third six-year term Tuesday, and if Republicans retake control, he is likely the next chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee. The Associated Press declared him the winner over Democrat Natalie James and Libertarian Kenneth Cates shortly after the polls closed at 7:30 p.m. At 9:32 p.m., with 57% […]
State begins defense of ban against gender-affirming care for minors
This article was updated at 7:35 p.m. Oct. 22, 2022, for minor edits. The trial against Arkansas’ ban of gender-affirming health care for minors recessed Friday afternoon until late November, following a morning highlighted by over two hours of closed-door testimony involving private medical information. Lawyers from Attorney General Leslie Rutledge’s office began their defense […]
Conway Schools should be embarrassed by anti-trans restroom policy, book censorship
The Conway School Board earned a badge of shame Tuesday when it adopted two policies that will harm transgender youth. One policy bans transgender youth from using restrooms not aligned with their assigned sex at birth. Gender nonconforming students made uncomfortable by this rule can opt to use single-use restrooms, but as one person noted […]
A chance at unity devolves into political division and recrimination
Could the Little Rock mayor’s race come down to how the city administration handled a contract for a party — and how the administration responds to public records requests? The drama that has played out at City Hall, on Twitter and in the media the last three weeks kept getting stranger and stranger as a […]
Federal judge declares parts of state election law unconstitutional
Six parts of Arkansas election law are unconstitutional and “impose a severe burden” on “new political parties” seeking to get their candidates on election ballots, a federal judge ruled on Friday. U.S. District Judge Kristine G. Baker wrote in an opinion and order that the Libertarian Party of Arkansas met its burden of proof in […]
Voters will decide recreational marijuana amendment, Arkansas high court rules
The Arkansas Supreme Court ruled Thursday that voters can decide in November whether to make recreational marijuana legal in the state. In a 20-page decision written by Justice Robin Wynne, the high court concluded 5-2 “that the ballot title at issue is complete enough to convey an intelligible idea of the scope and import of […]