Rhonda Wood

Arkansas Supreme Court majority blocks chief justice’s attempt to fire 10 judiciary employees

KUAR | By Tess Vrbin / Arkansas Advocate

From the Arkansas Advocate:

Two days after being sworn in, the Arkansas Supreme Court’s new chief justice attempted to fire several employees of the state court system, which a majority of the court claimed was inappropriate, “unnecessary and unfortunate.”

Five of six associate justices — Rhonda Wood, Barbara Webb, Shawn Womack, Cody Hiland and Nicholas Bronni — issued an administrative order Friday saying Chief Justice Karen Baker did not have the authority to fire 10 Administrative Office of the Courts employees for whom she’d prepared termination letters.

Some AOC employees, including the director, cannot be terminated without approval from at least four of the Supreme Court’s seven members, the five justices stated. Other workers cannot be fired without the AOC director’s approval, which Director Marty Sullivan did not give.

Arkansas Supreme Court majority blocks chief justice’s attempt to fire 10 judiciary employees

John Sykes/Arkansas Advocate

The Arkansas Supreme Court building in Little Rock.

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