Opinion
Delivered November 30, 2000
On November 7, 2000, the voters of Arkansas approved Amendment 3 for the purpose of revising the Judicial Article of the Arkansas Constitution. The passage of Amendment 3 will have a major impact on the form and structure of the judicial system, but it will make our judicial system more economical, efficient and effective.
Amendment 3 places substantial responsibility for its implementation on the Supreme Court, and we welcome the challenge. In furtherance of this duty, we hereby create a special committee of this Court to be known as the "Amendment "80" Implementation Committee" and appoint the following persons to serve:
Ronald D. Harrison
Jim L. Julian
Judge Robert J. Gladwin
Judge David B. Bogard
Judge John F. Stroud, Jr.
Judge Andree L. Roaf
Justice Annabelle Clinton Imber
Justice Robert L. Brown
Chief Justice Dub Arnold, Chair
We thank all of them for their willingness to serve. There is a lot of work ahead. We note that the effective date of the amendment is July 1, 2001.
The primary duty of this Committee is to oversee the implementation of Amendment 3 and to coordinate the efforts of all concerned, including the Arkansas Judicial Council, the Arkansas Bar Association, the Arkansas Municipal Judges Council, the Arkansas Circuit and County Clerks Association, the Arkansas Municipal and City Court Clerks Association, the Association of Arkansas Counties, the Arkansas Municipal League, and others. We observe that both the Executive and Legislative branches of the State have roles to play in this process. Because the new Judicial Article impacts all persons and entities who have occasion to interact with the state judicial system, we are committed to an open and collaborative process which will allow all interested persons and organizations to participate in this process as we work to build a better judicial system for Arkansas.