Arkansas Supreme Court schedules oral arguments for special election lawsuits

The Arkansas Supreme Court said Monday it will hear arguments next month on the state’s appeal of two court orders that forced Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders to reschedule two legislative special elections.

Colt Shelby, a Senate District 26 voter from Cecil and now-Libertarian Party nominee for governor, filed the first lawsuit in October challenging the original June dates the Republican governor set for the special elections for that seat and the House District 70 seat..

The lawsuits argued the dates violated state laws mandating legislative vacancies be filled no later than 150 days after vacancy, unless it is “impracticable or unduly burdensome” to do so. Sanders eventually scheduled the elections for March after judges ruled against her in both cases.

The lawsuits occurred as Sanders faced ongoing backlash from people living within Senate District 26 over the controversial Franklin County prison project she’s advocated for. Sen. Gary Stubblefield, a Republican from Branch who represented the district until his death in September, was a vocal critic of the project.



https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/arkansas-supreme-court-schedules-oral-arguments-special-election-lawsuits