Stories by Sean Beherec

  • Gay 'I-do's' in state halt after 4 days

    Gay couples lost access to marriage licenses in Arkansas late Wednesday after the state Supreme Court noted that state law still prevents county clerks from is…

  • Let marriage ruling stand, plaintiffs urge

    The Arkansas Supreme Court should not block a lower court's ruling that struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriages because it would cause immediate and …

  • 2 vying for high court seat

    A court of appeals judge is running against an attorney with years of appellate experience in the only contested race for the Arkansas Supreme Court in 2014.

  • Toss life term of teen killer, justices urged

    A U.S. Supreme Court ruling that barred mandatory life sentences without parole for youthful offenders should not apply retroactively to more than 50 such Arka…

  • GOP field sees 3 seek state’s top legal post

    The three candidates in the May 20 Republican primary for state attorney general are sharply criticizing the federal government, and they’re promising to battl…

  • Re-voided, voter-ID law is kept in primary

    A Pulaski County circuit judge reaffirmed on Friday his decision that the law requiring voters to show government- or college-issued photographic IDs for their…

  • Sides file briefs in late-fee appeals

    Attorneys on both sides of four appeals over judicial qualifications filed briefs Friday with the Arkansas Supreme Court.

  • Conviction upheld in stabbing death

    The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the first-degree murder conviction of a Faulkner County man in the stabbing death of his former girlfriend.

  • State Court of Appeals overturns rape conviction

    The Arkansas Court of Appeals on Wednesday threw out a Faulkner County man’s rape conviction because prosecutors failed to subpoena any witnesses before the st…

  • Group identifies top suggestions for Water Plan

    A group of stakeholders Tuesday identified a handful of “high-priority” recommendations for the Arkansas Water Plan that include creating a plan to respond to …

  • GOP incumbent faces ex-trooper

    The Republican primary in District 52 in northeast Arkansas pits a first-term representative against a retired Arkansas State Police trooper.

  • Risperdal ruling to stay as is

    The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday denied the state’s request to reconsider its ruling throwing out a $1.2 billion Medicaid-fraud fine against Johnson &amp…

  • Attorney: Behavior at trial warranted 2nd look

    A Faulkner County judge should have intervened and ordered a new competency evaluation for a man convicted of stabbing his former girlfriend to death after he …

  • Aggravated-crime conviction upheld

    The Arkansas Court of Appeals on Wednesday upheld the conviction for aggravated residential burglary of a man who was unarmed during a break-in because he made…

  • Election hopefuls appraised by NRA

    The National Rifle Association has endorsed Republican state Reps. Ann Clemmer and Bruce Westerman in their respective congressional bids.

  • Tuition help set for more in state

    The Arkansas Legislative Council on Friday voted to use $2 million in the state’s “rainy-day” funds to offer nearly two-thirds more Governor’s Distinguished Sc…

  • Court says goodwill divisible

    The “goodwill” value of Little Rock’s Brave New Restaurant was considered in a valuation of the business and can be divided in the co-owners’ divorce proceedin…

  • 81 judges since ’06 on suspension list

    Nearly one-third of the state’s sitting judges since 2006 have been suspended from practicing law a combined 157 times for nonpayment of annual law-license due…

  • Parents’ funeral claim dismissed

    The parents of an 18-month-old girl who died in state custody had waived any right to the body under state law because they “abandoned” her, the Arkansas Claim…

  • Claims panel quashes school-chief settlement

    The Arkansas Claims Commission unanimously rejected a settlement agreement between the state and the family of a former superintendent of the Pulaski County Sp…

  • Widow of fire chief awarded $200,000

    The Arkansas Claims Commission on Friday unanimously approved awarding $200,000 in death benefits to the widow of a former Trumann Fire Department chief who di…

  • Justices find murder conviction unmerited

    The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday threw out a Lincoln County man’s capital-murder conviction, finding that the state had failed to prove the shooting was …

  • Funeral for girl in state custody at hub of claim

    The parents of an 18-month-old girl who died in state custody forfeited the right to bury the child because they were estranged from her at the time of her dea…

  • 3 GOP candidates spar at law school

    Republican attorney general candidate Leslie Rutledge called fellow candidate David Sterling’s plan to reinstate the use of the electric chair to carry out the…

  • High ruling sought on judge eligibility

    Circuit Judge H.G. Foster on Monday asked the Arkansas Supreme Court to decide whether administrative suspensions for nonpayment of annual license fees prevent…

  • Court asked to review Risperdal ruling

    Attorney General Dustin McDaniel on Monday asked the Arkansas Supreme Court to reconsider its ruling that threw out a $1.2 billion Medicaid-fraud fine against …

  • State will ask court to revisit Risperdal case

    Attorney General Dustin McDaniel said Thursday that he will ask the Arkansas Supreme Court to reconsider its ruling that struck down a $1.2 billion Medicaid fr…

  • Firm wins appeal in patient death

    The Arkansas Court of Appeals on Wednesday overturned a lower court’s ruling in favor of the family of a Forrest City man who walked away from a residential ca…

  • Conviction overturned after prisoner’s release

    A Howard County man who was convicted of aggravated assault and battery and has already been released from prison was not properly informed of his right to wai…

  • EPA order to remove dam prompts lawsuit

    A Clinton landowner who constructed a 30-foot tall dam on a tributary of the South Fork of the Little Red River without a permit is challenging in court an ord…

  • Hearing rejected on waste pipeline

    A state environmental commission Friday dismissed a request by a conservation group to reopen a consent agreement with El Dorado Water Utilities for using unap…

  • Majority overrides state veto

    When the Arkansas Legislature voted last week to override the governor’s veto of a provision in an appropriation bill, it didn’t require a landslide.

  • Justices void Risperdal fine of $1.2 billion

    The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday threw out a $1.2 billion fine against Johnson & Johnson and a subsidiary, ruling that the claims against the company by …

  • Beebe veto overridden

    The Republican-controlled Legislature on Wednesday overrode Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe’s line-item veto of a sales-tax exemption for sand used in oil- and natu…

  • House votes GOP’s Gillam as speaker-designate

    The state House of Representatives on Wednesday elected Rep. Jeremy Gillam as speaker-designate for 2015-16, giving the Judsonia Republican a lopsided first-ba…

  • GOP hopeful outraises Ross for 2nd month

    Republican gubernatorial candidate Asa Hutchinson raised more money than Democratic candidate Mike Ross for the second month in a row in February, but he still…

  • Vote set for House speaker

    The state House of Representatives is scheduled this week to designate a new speaker to replace Rep. Davy Carter.

  • Panel: In need of more legal aid

    The Arkansas Public Defender Commission would need more than double the number of attorneys on the payroll to bring caseloads in line with national standards, …

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