Opinion

Change yes, but not with personal agendas

Last week, I had appointments with two clients. With each client I started our meeting by asking the question, “How was your year?” Both answered that it was one of…

A warning about a full time Legislature

It is not too often one sees a veteran lawmaker like State Sen. Keith Ingram, D-West Memphis kicking up dust about legislative salaries. But this past week the long-time public…

The trail money money trail

The Fort Smith Board of Directors may not have had a full battery of information when approving a ballot question seeking voter approval of a plan to spend more than…

The open carry question

By now, a lot of Arkansans have heard about the “open carry” controversy stirred up by a billboard outside of Conway advising citizens that state law allows them to openly…

Avoiding ‘rage without focus’

The 90th General Assembly – thus far splendidly absent notable drama – is reaching its halfway point. Debates over taxes and healthcare are temporarily suspended, creating an opportunity for other…

Hutchinson’s honeymoon

It seems as if Asa Hutchinson is enjoying a honeymoon period at the helm of the Arkansas' state government. Given that a public official’s approval rating is usually rock solid…

Be careful what you say around your TV

If you want to keep up with the latest legal issues surrounding the Internet, the Electronic Foundation Frontier is a pretty good site to bookmark and check regularly. One issue…

Hand-wringing over guns on campus

I try to understand the perspective of others, specifically those with whom I disagree. If you can’t explain both sides of an issue, you don’t fully understand the issue. You’re…

Big pay raises for the elected class

The Independent Citizens Commission has set the proposed pay increases for state legislators, judges and constitutional officers. Everyone needs to take a big deep breath and read on. The pay…

A short note on eviction law

On Jan. 20, Pulaski County Circuit Judge Herbert Wright, Jr. signed an order finding Arkansas’ criminal eviction statute unconstitutional. That’s been reported more than a few times over the past…

My ‘tax reform’ pet peeve

Any “tax reform” passed by Congress and signed by our President this year, next year, or in any future year will never change this one fact: by design, the sole…

Undoing the double holiday

Nate Bell of Mena is not going to quit in his efforts to dislodge the dual celebration of Robert E. Lee and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., celebrated on the…

Return to the political past

From the end of the Civil War until the 1970’s, the South was solidly Democratic, thus making it the so-called “Solid South.” It’s been said that it was Democratic because…

The speed trap app

A story the Associated Press ran about a popular smartphone app serves as yet another reminder that technological advances often raise legal issues that courts will have to struggle with…

Fort Smith’s wager on cultural heritage tourism

In 1957 “Judge Parker’s” courtroom and gallows reopened for business as Fort Smith began its wager that selling its 19th century history to tourists would create an economic bonanza for…

Removing the college affordability barrier

There have been some exciting developments recently for students who wish to go to college but who may lack the resources to do so. In early January, the President announced…

A good man

The City Wire recently asked me to write something about the person who is the new Arkansas governor – my old boss, Asa Hutchinson. I was asked to write about him…

The politics of ‘AsaCare’

The long awaited speech by Gov. Asa Hutchinson on his health care plans for the state “surprised many people,” said state Rep. Greg Leding, D-Fayetteville, one of the few surviving…

Don’t label campaign finance reform debate

News about campaign finance reform came out last week that, once again, painted that issue as one primarily pushed by the left side of the political spectrum. So, what happened?…

Let’s consider this mysterious and allegedly absolute cover of confidentiality under which Fort Smith and federal officials discussed the settlement of the city’s Clean Water Act violations – a settlement…