For the first time in history, Republicans will have control of the Arkansas Supreme Court. Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders made this possible by appointing Cody Hiland to the state’s highest court.
It marks an important milestone for the Republican party who had been striving for a majority on the bench.
Hiland is well qualified for this position, having served as U.S Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas under President Donald Trump from 2017-2020 and legal counsel for the Arkansas Department of Public Safety.
He also served as a prosecutor in his home state and worked on Governor Sanders’ successful campaign when she became the first female governor of Arkansas.
Sanders was enthusiastic about her appointment saying “Today I appointed former prosecutor and US attorney Cody Hiland to the Arkansas Supreme Court—marking the first time the Court will have a conservative majority. Cody brings decades of legal experience to the job — and I am confident he will serve our state well.”
She went on to say that she believes it will have just as much impact on their state as it has had on America overall.
Hiland himself said he’s humbled by this opportunity and hopes that people think he brought honor to the title at end of his term.
The appointment was met with high praise from fellow Republicans including Senator Tom Cotton who described Hiland’s selection as “an outstanding selection” while Attorney General Tim Griffin called him “an outstanding appointment.”
It comes just weeks after Sanders vowed to fight back against a federal judge appointed by Barack Obama who struck down a law aimed at regulating transgender treatment including sex change surgeries for children.
The Governor argued that rather than protecting children or safeguarding medical ethics, allowing these procedures would do more harm than good.
