The head of the state Republican Party is now the newest member of the nonpartisan Arkansas Supreme Court.
Sanders announced former federal prosecutor Cody Hiland will fill the vacancy on the high court following the death of Associate Justice Robin Wynne last month.
Speaking at the State Capitol Monday, Sanders indirectly referenced recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings on affirmative action, student loans and LGBTQ rights.
“Cody comes from the same mold as some of the finest [jurists] we have in the country today, the same legal minds that are finally bringing back strict originalism to our courts,” Sanders said. “This is the first time the Arkansas Supreme Court will have a conservative majority, and I know it will have the same effect on our state as it has had on our country.”
Hiland, who in 2017 was appointed by former President Donald Trump as U.S. Attorney for Arkansas’ Eastern District, paid his respects to the late Justice Wynne in accepting his new role.
“It is, in many respects, a solemn day. And while we acknowledge the loss, we at the same time acknowledge that we have to engage in the sobering and serious responsibility in fulfilling the legal obligations necessary to move forward with the court’s business,” he said.
Hiland also thanked Sanders’ father, former Gov. Mike Huckabee, for whom he served as an aide early in his career. Sanders said Hiland will bring a “lifetime of legal experience” to the bench.
“It will be impossible to fill Justice Wynne’s shoes on the Supreme Court, but Cody’s decades of experience, even temperament and love for our state and the rule of law bring him closer than anyone else could. He will be there to call balls and strikes, interpreting state law as it was written, and leaving the legislating to the legislature.”
Hiland will serve on the high court until the end of next year. He will be prohibited from running for a full term in his same seat on the Supreme Court, but can theoretically run for another position on the court.
UPDATE: Democratic Party of Arkansas Chair Grant Tennille responded to Hiland's appointment in a statement, saying Arkansans should be concerned of Gov. Sanders "abusing her power to appoint judges."
"Americans are concerned that our courts are becoming too partisan, and the Governor justifies those fears when she appoints a former campaign employee, the current Republican Party chair, to Arkansas’s highest court. Hiland hasn’t served a single term as an appellate judge, a gap in his resume that any other governor would consider disqualifying," the statement reads.
