Opinion ID: 2459900
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Public-service work

Text: Appellant's first argument assails the constitutionality of section 5-65-306, the public-service work provision of the Underage DUI Law. Section 5-65-306 provides as follows: Any underage person who pleads guilty or nolo contendere or is found guilty of violating § 5-65-303 shall be ordered by the court to perform public service work of the type and for the duration as deemed appropriate by the court. Appellant summarily argues, without citation to authority, that section 5-65-306 violates our state constitutional due-process guarantee, Ark. Const. art. 2, § 8, because it authorizes a trial court to pronounce a penalty of indefinite duration, and violates our state constitutional equal-protection guarantee, Ark. Const. art. 2, § 18, because it applies only to underage persons. The trial court sentenced appellant to perform thirty hours of public service for the substance-abuse program of the Salvation Army in Fayetteville. We do not reach the merits of this argument. We do not consider an argument, even a constitutional one, when the appellant presents no citation to authority or convincing argument in its support and it is not apparent without further research that the argument is well taken. E.g., Cook v. State, 321 Ark. 641, 906 S.W.2d 681 (1995); Stevens v. State, 319 Ark. 640, 893 S.W.2d 773 (1995). This rule is consistent with the well-established principle that statutes are presumed to be constitutional and the burden of proving otherwise rests with the party challenging the statute. E.g., Dougan v. State, 322 Ark. 384, 912 S.W.2d 400 (1995); Cook, 321 Ark. 641, 906 S.W.2d 681. Appellant does not explain how the General Assembly's failure to express a statutory maximum duration for community service pursuant to section 5-65-306 offends her due-process right, or how the statute's underage classification offends her equal-protection right. We do not consider such deficient contentions on appeal. Cook, 321 Ark. 641, 906 S.W.2d 681; Stevens, 319 Ark. 640, 893 S.W.2d 773.