Rhonda Wood

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

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.

Arkansas State Supreme Court Justice Testifies In Bribery Trial Of Former Lawmaker

By DEBRA HALE-SHELTON/ ARKANSAS NONPROFIT NEWS NETWORK

Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Rhonda Wood testified Tuesday that she never talked with former Circuit Judge Michael Maggio about his decision to alter a jury’s award in a nursing home negligence case in 2013 — a ruling that led to Maggio’s imprisonment and to federal bribery charges against former lobbyist Gilbert Baker.

Wood’s testimony for the prosecution came near day’s end at Baker’s trial in U.S. District Court in Little Rock. She is to continue testifying Wednesday.

Wood’s statement contradicts defense attorney Annie Depper’s assertion during opening statements Monday that Maggio had “struggled” with the 2013 ruling so much that he consulted with Wood, Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox and a law clerk about the decision.

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/post/arkansas-state-supreme-court-justice-testifies-bribery-trial-former-lawmaker

CREDIT KUAR NEWS

CREDIT KUAR NEWS