by Roby Brock (roby@talkbusiness.net)
Gov. Sarah Sanders appointed Republican Party of Arkansas chairman Cody Hiland to the Arkansas Supreme Court on Monday (July 3) to fill a vacancy left by the death of Justice Robin Wynne. Hiland, a former state and federal prosecutor, will serve until January 2025 after voters choose a new justice in the 2024 election cycle. Hiland will not be eligible to run for the open seat.
Sanders said the appointment would provide the Arkansas Supreme Court with a “conservative majority” for the first time. Judges and justices run for office in Arkansas under an independent label.
Wynne was re-elected to an eight-year term on the state’s highest court in November 2022, but died in June. The law declares the governor fills the term until the next regular election.
