U.S. District Judge Judge James M. Moody Jr. has granted the Arkansas Supreme Court’s request to halt proceedings temporarily in Pulaski County Circuit Court Wendell Griffen’s lawsuit against the state Supreme Court.
The state Supreme Court wanted a stay so it wouldn’t have to interrupt its busy schedule to respond to the lawsuit in detail until it knows if the case might be dismissed.
Griffen objected to that request on Friday. He filed a lawsuit after the state Supreme Court had banned him from hearing death penalty cases because he protested capital punishment in front of the governor’s mansion in 2017. Griffen is a Baptist minister.
Attorneys for the state's high court said in December that the lawsuit should be thrown out for failure to state a legitimate claim.
Read Tuesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.