Arkansas' chief justice on Thursday appointed a former justice to a panel responsible for setting the pay of state elected officials.
Chief Justice Dan Kemp tapped retired Justice Annabelle Imber Tuck to the Independent Citizens Commission to replace Little Rock attorney Chuck Banks, whose term expired.
The commission was created in 2014 by Amendment 94 to the Arkansas Constitution to set the salaries of state constitutional officers, legislators, judges and prosecuting attorneys.
Tuck was the first woman elected to the Arkansas Supreme Court where she served from 1997-2009, and she has remained active in the legal community, most recently campaigning against a tort reform measure that was ultimately tossed off the November ballot.
"Justice Tuck will be an excellent addition to the Independent Citizens Commission," Kemp said in a statement. "She will thoughtfully and thoroughly perform the duties of the commission."
The commission members are appointed by the leaders of the three branches of state government.
In the first year after its creation, the commission granted elected officials substantial pay raises, and it has given raises in recent years that amount to cost-of-living adjustments.
Metro on 01/11/2019