Arkansas

University of Arkansas rescinds job offer to law school dean, reportedly over political pressure

The University of Arkansas has reversed its decision to hire Emily Suski as its new law school dean for reportedly joining a group of other law professors in filing an amicus brief at the U.S. Supreme Court in support of transgender student athletes.

Jan 16, 2026 9:07 AM CST

Farm Aide: Janie Simms Hipp ‘was put on this earth’ to work in agricultural law

At the time of the farm financial crisis in the 1980s, Janie Simms Hipp was in private practice in Oklahoma City, representing banks and handling commercial litigation. As part of her job, she helped clients take people’s homes and businesses. Until, she says, she couldn’t do it anymore. “I just literally woke up one morning, and I walked into my partner’s office, and I said, ‘I quit,’” says Hipp, a 1984 graduate of the Oklahoma City University School of Law. “I cannot live with myself if I do this.”

Nov 24, 2025 9:08 AM CST

Judge calls portrait of ex-colleague ‘celebration of corruption,’ orders disciplinary press release displayed beneath

A new courthouse portrait of an Arkansas judge who resigned amid a disciplinary investigation won’t be hanging without a footnote of sorts, according to an order by Judge Stephen Shirron, the administrative judge of the state’s Seventh Judicial Circuit.

Nov 6, 2025 1:05 PM CST

Law prof fired for online comments after Charlie Kirk’s death that led to ‘torrent of complaints’

A law professor who called conservative political activist Charlie Kirk “an evil man” on Facebook after his shooting death has been fired from her position at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s William H. Bowen School of Law.

Oct 21, 2025 12:37 PM CDT

Law prof at public university suspended for Charlie Kirk comments; does that violate First Amendment?

Online comments about the death of political activist Charlie Kirk have led to the suspension of an assistant clinical education professor at the University of Arkansas Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law.

Sep 18, 2025 12:44 PM CDT

8th Circuit blocks ‘backup theory’ for enforcing Voting Rights Act, leaving private plaintiffs without recourse

A federal appeals court in St. Louis has blocked an alternate path for private plaintiffs in seven states to sue to enforce racial-discrimination protections in Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

May 19, 2025 11:48 AM CDT

Lawyer arrested at state bar meeting for carrying petitions reaches settlement

An Arkansas lawyer who was arrested for carrying ballot petitions at a state bar meeting in June 2024 has reached an out-of-court settlement that calls for payment of $200,000 to her lawyers.

Jan 22, 2025 2:58 PM CST

State chief justice with ‘millions of reasons’ to fire court employees can’t do so unilaterally, top Arkansas court says

The Arkansas Supreme Court stepped in Friday, when the state’s new chief justice tried to fire nearly a dozen employees, including the director of the Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts.

Jan 7, 2025 3:37 PM CST

Arkansas justices refer each other for discipline in FOIA tiff

Updated: A Freedom of Information Act request for an Arkansas justice’s emails has led to a tossed lawsuit and a spate of ethics referrals.

Oct 1, 2024 3:16 PM CDT

GOP states sue to end Biden’s student loan forgiveness rule

Seven Republican-led states sued on Tuesday to block President Joe Biden’s new policy to reduce or eliminate the student loan balances of millions of borrowers, claiming the Education Department is illegally preparing to start debt cancellation before the rule is finalized.

Sep 5, 2024 12:00 PM CDT

Supreme Court keeps block on Biden’s new Title IX regulations in some states

A divided Supreme Court refused to require some states to enforce new rules on how schools should handle complaints of sexual harassment and discrimination, leaving in place a ban on the provisions while lower-court battles continue.

Aug 20, 2024 9:45 AM CDT

‘Unlocked’ shows how open cells and phone access can help inmates make better choices

The premise that Sheriff Eric Higgins would allow a select pod of his jail at the Pulaski County Regional Detention Facility in Little Rock, Arkansas, to be “unlocked” for six weeks seemed more of a publicity stunt than a social experiment.

May 23, 2024 8:59 AM CDT

Lawyer who missed deposition while viewing solar eclipse should pay $7,800 sanction, litigant says

The additional cost of viewing a total solar eclipse in Arkansas could amount to more than $7,800 for a Florida lawyer who missed a deposition with his client.

May 16, 2024 9:34 AM CDT

Lawyer shot while allegedly trying to rob armored car

An Arkansas lawyer was taken to the hospital Wednesday after he was allegedly shot by an armored car employee during an attempted robbery, according to Little Rock, Arkansas, police.

Apr 29, 2024 10:51 AM CDT

In ‘catastrophic’ ruling for minority voters, 8th Circuit says only US can sue for discriminatory voting practices

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at St. Louis ruled Monday that private plaintiffs cannot sue for alleged violations of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which bans voting practices and procedures that deny or abridge the right to vote on the basis of race or color.

Nov 20, 2023 3:26 PM CST