Gov. Sanders appoints two to Supreme Court, new Secretary of State

Gov. Sarah Sanders on Friday (Dec. 20) announced that Cole Jester will serve as Arkansas’ Secretary of State and Justice Cody Hiland and Nicholas Bronni would fill vacancies on the Arkansas Supreme Court in January.

Jester will replace Secretary of State John Thurston, who will be sworn in as Arkansas’ Treasurer in January. Jester has served for the past two years as the deputy chief legal counsel for Sanders.

“If my team ever needs someone to do a deep dive on the law, prep for a court hearing, or craft a brilliant defense of conservative legal philosophy, one of the first people I always ask is Cole Jester. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that when I was looking for someone to defend election integrity as Secretary of State, Cole Jester was my first choice,” said Sanders. “Cole is incredibly accomplished and smart – and even more importantly, he is honest, hardworking, and a man of deep faith.”

“It is an incredible honor to have been entrusted by Governor Sanders with the role of Secretary of State. I am deeply thankful for her leadership and for the opportunity to serve Arkansans in this position. The people of Arkansas deserve a Secretary of State who will fight for them and for our shared values day in and day out, and I will fulfill that sacred responsibility. In partnership with the Governor, we will work to ensure Arkansas is the greatest state in the nation through election security, public safety, and efficient service to Arkansans,” said Jester.

Sanders’ appointments to the Arkansas Supreme Court were created by vacancies involving Chief Justice-elect Karen Baker and Justice Courtney Hudson, both of whom will have to vacate their Associate Justice positions in January due to elections to new Supreme Court posts.

Current Justice Cody Hiland, who was filling an expiring term on the court, was named to one of the vacancies. Arkansas Solicitor General Nicholas Bronni, an employee of the Arkansas Attorney General’s office, will fill the other vacancy.

Hiland will fill out Justice Hudson’s position and Bronni will complete Justice Baker’s term.

“Cody’s first 18 months on the Supreme Court have shown everyone what we already knew: he’s sharp, he’s honest, and above all, he’s dedicated to the people of Arkansas and our Constitution. Nick has defended our state and laws as Arkansas’ Solicitor General, and I know he will do an excellent job interpreting them on the bench,” said Sanders. “Together, these two appointees cement our conservative Supreme Court majority and will ensure laws are interpreted as written, calling balls and strikes and leaving the legislating to the legislators.”

“I am grateful for the faith that Governor Sanders has placed in me to continue serving the people of this state as an Arkansas Supreme Court Justice,” said Hiland.

“I’m humbled and honored by the trust that Governor Sanders has placed in me by appointing me to the Arkansas Supreme Court,” said Bronni. “It has been my privilege to serve as Arkansas’s Solicitor General, and in that role, every time I stepped into a courtroom, I never forgot who I represented or that it was an honor to represent the people of the Natural State. And I thank Governor Sanders for the opportunity to serve the people of Arkansas in this new role.”