In Re Administrative Plans District Courts

2019 Ark. 398

Opinion

Cite as 2019 Ark. 398 SUPREME COURT OF ARKANSAS Opinion Delivered December 12, 2019 IN RE ADMINISTRATIVE PLANS FOR DISTRICT COURTS

Administrative Order No. 18 requires a state district court or a local district court to

prepare an administrative plan when the court operates a specialty court program, when

multiple judges preside in the district, or when the court has multiple venues in the

district. The administrative plans submitted by district courts have been approved, except

as follows: Little Rock District Court, North Little Rock District Court, District Court of

Sebastian County–Fort Smith District, District Court of Faulkner County and Van Buren

County, and District Court of Cleburne County. Additionally, the District Court of

Greene County should prepare an administrative plan for approval. Pursuant to

Administrative Order No. 18, the plans currently in effect for these courts shall remain in

full force until an amended plan is submitted and approved.

In 2019, the first comprehensive evaluation of the specialty programs in the State of

Arkansas was undertaken at the direction of the Specialty Court Program Advisory

Committee (“Committee”). The evaluation was not received by the Committee until after the administrative plans were due for submission to the Supreme Court. The court

intends to take note of this evaluation and the recommendations of the Committee to

ensure that the specialty programs in the state are accomplishing their missions and are

adhering to recognized standards of operation. Consequently, the court may find it

necessary to require changes in some specialty court programs that have been approved

today, and affected courts will be advised of any issues and given a reasonable time to

address them.

The court also intends to require district courts to operate in a manner consistent

with their statutory organization and designation. The court may require changes to

approved plans and will notify affected courts of the necessary amendments to address

organizational deficiencies.

All administrative plans are effective January 1, 2020.