Justice Robin Wynne

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Gov. Sanders names RPA chair Cody Hiland to Arkansas Supreme Court to replace Justice Robin Wynne

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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.

https://talkbusiness.net/2023/07/gov-sanders-names-rpa-chair-cody-hiland-to-arkansas-supreme-court-to-replace-justice-robin-wynne/

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Justice Rhonda Wood offers vision for Chief Justice, wants magistrate system to speed up trials

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by Roby Brock (roby@talkbusiness.net)

Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Rhonda Wood remembered her colleague Justice Robin Wynne and outlined her vision if she is elected Chief Justice in 2024 – a vision that includes creating magistrates to make the trial process faster and more efficient in the state’s court system.

Justice Wynne died last week after being re-elected to an eight-year term in November 2022. Wood said she and Wynne had a close relationship in part due to having the same initials.

“He was a lovely, lovely man. I worked with him for ten-and-a-half years because we served on the Court of Appeals together, we came on the Supreme Court together,” she said. “We would say, ‘Hi, R.W.’ to each other because it was ‘Robin Wynne, Rhonda Wood’. People got our names confused, nobody could figure out who we were.”

https://talkbusiness.net/2023/06/justice-rhonda-wood-offers-vision-for-chief-justice-wants-magistrate-system-to-speed-up-trials/

Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Rhonda Wood.