Court Opinion

ID: 9684385
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 13:55:21.655114+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:17:55.374131
License: Public Domain

Donald L. Corbin, Justice, dissenting. I completely ce, wholeheartedly agree with the dissent filed by Justice Glaze, the sole member of this court who did not act upon the oral motions made by the Democratic and Republican parties in this case. I write separately to state that although I initially questioned the way in which this matter was being allowed to proceed, contrary to our well-established rules, I ultimately went along with the majority and cast my vote based on the oral motions of the parties, despite the fact that I had no information or applicable law before me. After considerable reflection on this matter, I believe that I have an obligation to inform the people of this state that I acted improvidently in this matter, and I am truly embarrassed. The long-standing rules of this court were completely ignored by both parties involved in this matter, as well as the members of this court, including myself. I now know that I should have maintained my initial position of doubt and that I should have refused to cast any vote on the issue until the matter was properly before this court. It is easy to get swept up in the frenzied pace of election-night emergency petitions. However, at the time that we cast our votes to void the circuit court’s order, the matter was actually moot, because the extended voting hours authorized by the circuit court had already expired. Thus, ironically, this court’s hasty action was completely unnecessary. I share Justice Glaze’s concern for the dangerous precedent that this case creates. It is my hope that by writing separately to confess the mistake I made, future parties will not view this case as precedent. Having now had the benefit of reviewing the pleadings filed by the parties in this matter, I take no issue with the majority’s decision to void the circuit court’s order. I can certainly empathize with the predicament that Judge Kilgore found himself in on election night, and I have no doubt that his order was based on good intentions and a legitimate concern that the voters of Pulaski County were being disenfranchised. However, I believe that Judge Kilgore went beyond his authority in extending the voting hours. Additionally, I write separately to emphasize the fact that the parties and the media have misinterpreted our decision in this case. As I read the decision handed down today, this court has merely entered an order declaring the circuit court’s order void. Our order does not address the issue of what to do with those ballots cast after 7:30 p.m. Thus, contrary to what many members of the media have stated, this court has not declared that all votes cast after 7:30 shall not be counted. The reason that we make no ruling on that issue is that there are proper procedures to follow to challenge the counting of particular votes. Hence, any person wishing to make such a challenge should refer to our Election Code, see Ark. Code Ann. § 7-8-101 to -307 (Repl. 2000 and Supp. 2001), for the proper procedures to undertake.