Opinion
Opinion Delivered February 14, 2008
Act 663 of 2007 created the District Court Resource Assessment Board. The duties of this Board are to make recommendations to the General Assembly in the following areas:
(1) the criteria for the creation and placement of full-time, state-funded district court judgeships;
(2) revisions of current district court judgeships or the redistricting of the district court districts of this state; and
(3) the number and placement of full-time, state-funded district court judgeships. ( See Ark. Code Ann. § 16-17-1003.)
The Board is to consist of eleven members, seven of whom are to be appointed by the Supreme Court. At this time, we appoint the following persons to the Board to fill the positions specified in Act 663.
(a) Two members of the Arkansas District Judges Council: Hon. Rusty Porter of West Helena and Hon. Dan Stidham of Paragould;
(b) One member of the Association of Arkansas Counties: Hon. Wes Fowler, Madison County Judge;
(c) One member of the Arkansas Municipal League: Mayor Chris Claybaker of Camden;
(d) One Justice of the Supreme Court: Chief Justice Jim Hannah;
(e) One member of the Arkansas Bar Association who is engaged in the full-time private practice of law: Mr. Eddie Walker, Esq., of Fort Smith;
(f) One circuit judge: Hon. Marcia Hearnsberger of Hot Springs.
We thank these individuals for their willingness to serve on the Board. They shall draw for initial terms as provided in Act 663.
The remaining members of the Board and procedures for conduct of the Board's business are set out in Ark. Code Ann. § 16-17-1002 (b).