Title: In re Sixth Judicial Circuit Admin. Plan (Per Curiam)
Citation: 2018 Ark. 236
Docket Number: N/A
State: Arkansas
Issuer: Arkansas Supreme Court
Date: June 21, 2018

Cite as 2018 Ark. 236 SUPREME COURT OF ARKANSAS Opinion Delivered: June 21, 2018 IN RE SIXTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT ADMINISTRATIVE PLAN PER CURIAM The Sixth Judicial Circuit submitted its proposed administrative plan on June 30, 2017. This court received many objections. This court did not approve the plan as submitted. On June 5, 2018, the Sixth Judicial Circuit submitted a second proposed plan, and the underlying factual disputes remain unresolved. It is not the typical role of this court to sit as a finder of fact. For matters in which we are in such a position, it is the practice of this court to appoint a special master. Therefore, we appoint the Honorable Bentley E. Story, retired circuit judge, as special master. The special master shall review the proposed plans and objections. The special master shall obtain the accurate data from the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) regarding case filings, active cases, and aging reports of cases in each division. The special master shall visit with the circuit judges, the prosecuting attorney, the public defender, and others the master deems necessary to hear their concerns and evaluate the issues. 2 The special master shall make a recommendation to this court by September 1, 2018 as to the most appropriate method to divide the civil, probate, criminal, domestic-relations, and juvenile cases among the seventeen divisions. The recommendation shall also include which division(s) to assign the drug and veterans court and how to assign the Arkansas Community Correction staff for this specialty court.