Smith v. Wright (Arkansas Supreme Court) Plaintiffs' Response to February 5 Order re which justices should preside over the case.
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CV-14-427 IN THE ARKANSAS SUPREME COURT M. KENDALL WRIGHT, et al PLAINTIFFS-APPELLEES VS. Case No. CV-14-427 NATHANIEL SMITH, MD, MPH, et al DEFENDANTS-APPELLANTS PLAINTIFFS-APPELLEES' RESPONSE TO PER CURIAM ORDER C o m e s K e n d a l l W r i g h t , et al. Plaintiffs-Appellees herein, and respectfully submit their Response to this Court's Per Curiam Order and state: 1. T h a t P l a i n t i f f s - A p p e l l e e s a p o l o g i z e to this Court for the appearance that their response to Defendants-Appellants Motion f o r O r a l A r g u m e n t s appeared to be in opposition to Justices Wood and Wynne serving on this case. Plaintiffs- Appellees are certain that said Justices can and would render a fair and well- reasoned decision. 2. However, Appellees' concern was and is due to the continued delay in the rendering of a decision that would be totally unnecessary if the Justices that have had the matter under submission since November 20, 2014 were permitted to finalize t h e i r w o r k . 3. This Court recognized the need for an expedited appeal process on October 23, 2014 and immediately set O r a l A r g u m e n t s f o r N o v e m b e r 2 0 , 2 0 1 4 . 1
Transcript
CV-14-427 IN T H E ARKANSAS SUPREME COURT
M. K E N D A L L WRIGHT, et al P L A I N T I F F S - A P P E L L E E S
VS. Case No. CV-14-427
NATHANIEL SMITH, MD, MPH, et al DEFENDANTS-APPELLANTS
P L A I N T I F F S - A P P E L L E E S ' RESPONSE TO PER CURIAM ORDER
C o m e s K e n d a l l W r i g h t , e t a l . P l a i n t i f f s - A p p e l l e e s h e r e i n , a n d r e s p e c t f u l l y
s u b m i t t h e i r R e s p o n s e t o t h i s C o u r t ' s P e r C u r i a m O r d e r a n d s ta te :
1 . T h a t P l a i n t i f f s - A p p e l l e e s a p o l o g i z e t o t h i s C o u r t f o r t h e a p p e a r a n c e t h a t
t h e i r r e s p o n s e t o D e f e n d a n t s - A p p e l l a n t s M o t i o n f o r O r a l A r g u m e n t s a p p e a r e d t o
b e i n o p p o s i t i o n t o J u s t i c e s W o o d a n d W y n n e s e r v i n g o n t h i s case. P l a i n t i f f s -
A p p e l l e e s a r e c e r t a i n t h a t s a i d J u s t i c e s c a n a n d w o u l d r e n d e r a f a i r a n d w e l l -
r e a s o n e d d e c i s i o n .
2 . H o w e v e r , A p p e l l e e s ' c o n c e r n w a s a n d i s d u e t o t h e c o n t i n u e d d e l a y i n
t h e r e n d e r i n g o f a d e c i s i o n t h a t w o u l d b e t o t a l l y u n n e c e s s a r y i f t h e J u s t i c e s t h a t
h a v e h a d t h e m a t t e r u n d e r s u b m i s s i o n s i n c e N o v e m b e r 2 0 , 2 0 1 4 w e r e p e r m i t t e d t o
f i n a l i z e t h e i r w o r k .
3 . T h i s C o u r t r e c o g n i z e d t h e n e e d f o r a n e x p e d i t e d a p p e a l p r o c e s s o n
O c t o b e r 2 3 , 2 0 1 4 a n d i m m e d i a t e l y se t O r a l A r g u m e n t s f o r N o v e m b e r 2 0 , 2 0 1 4 .
1
F u r t h e r d e l a y t o c o n d u c t s e c o n d o r a l a r g u m e n t s a n d n e w c o n s i d e r a t i o n r u n s
c o u n t e r t o t h i s C o u r t ' s g r a n t i n g o f t h e M o t i o n t o E x p e d i t e a n d f u r t h e r h a r m s
P l a i n t i f f s - A p p e l l e e s .
4 . T h e r e i s n o a u t h o r i t y t h a t A p p e l l e e s c a n f i n d d i r e c t l y o n p o i n t i n a s e a r c h
o f a l l s ta te a n d f e d e r a l c o u r t s . T h e i s s u e p r e s e n t e d i s n o v e l .
5 . T h i s C o u r t h a s h e l d , i n r e g a r d t o t h e a p p o i n t m e n t o f a S p e c i a l J u s t i c e
t h a t : " W h e n j u s t i c e s o f t h i s c o u r t f i n d i t n e c e s s a r y t o d i s q u a l i f y t h e m s e l v e s f r o m p a r t i c i p a t i n g i n a case i t i s i m p e r a t i v e t h a t t h e r e b e s o m e s a f e t y v a l v e t h a t w i l l a l l o w t h e p a r t i e s t o c o n t i n u e b e f o r e t h e c o u r t . "
Medlock V. Leathers, 3\l A r k . 1 7 5 , 1 8 2 , 8 4 2 S W 2 d 4 2 8 , 4 3 2 ( 1 9 9 2 ) .
6 . S p e c i a l J u s t i c e M c C o r k i n d a l e w a s a p p o i n t e d b y t h e G o v e r n o r o f t h e S t a t e
o f A r k a n s a s i n a c c o r d a n c e w i t h A m e n d m e n t 8 0 , S e c t i o n 13 t o t h e A r k a n s a s
C o n s t i t u t i o n o n O c t o b e r 1 , 2 0 1 4 d u e t o t h e r e c u s a l o f J u s t i c e H o o f m a n .
7 . D u e t o t h i s C o u r t ' s o b s e r v a n c e i n M e d l o c k , i t w o u l d t h u s a p p e a r t h a t t h i s
C o u r t ' s p o s i t i o n a n d t h e i n t e n t i o n o f A m e n d m e n t 8 0 , S e c t i o n 13 i s t h a t t h e r e
s h o u l d b e n o d e l a y o r d i s r u p t i o n i n t h e a p p e a l p r o c e d u r e a n d t h a t t h e a p p o i n t m e n t
o f a n d c o n t i n u i n g s e r v i n g o f S p e c i a l J u s t i c e M c C o r k i n d a l e a c c o m p l i s h e s t h a t
i n t e n t .
8 . F u r t h e r , as s t a t e d i n A p p e l l e e s ' R e s p o n s e t o M o t i o n f o r [ S e c o n d ] O r a l
A r g u m e n t , R u l e 1 - 7 o f t h e R u l e s o f t h e A r k a n s a s S u p r e m e C o u r t p r o v i d e s t h a t
" w h e r e n o p r o v i s i o n i s m a d e b y s t a t u t e o r o t h e r r u l e , p r o c e e d i n g s i n t h e C o u r t s h a l l
b e i n a c c o r d a n c e w i t h e x i s t i n g p r a c t i c e . " N o " e x i s t i n g p r a c t i c e " o f t h e S u p r e m e
C o u r t p r o v i d e s f o r h o l d i n g a s e c o n d o r a l a r g u m e n t b e f o r e d i f f e r e n t J u s t i c e s a f t e r
s e v e n J u s t i c e s h a v e a l r e a d y h e a r d o r a l a r g u m e n t , p a r t i c i p a t e d i n t h e case , a n d
taken the case under submission.
9 . D u e t o t h i s C o u r t ' s r e c o g n i t i o n o f t h e n e e d f o r e x p e d i e n c y i n t h i s
m a t t e r , t h e C o u r t ' s s t a t e d r e a s o n , as se t f o r t h i n Medlock, f o r t h e a p p o i n t m e n t a n d
d u t y o f S p e c i a l J u s t i c e M c C o r k i n d a l e a n d t h e p u r p o s e o f A m e n d m e n t 8 0 , S e c t i o n
13 t o t h e A r k a n s a s C o n s t i t u t i o n , t h i s C o u r t s h o u l d a l l o w t h i s m a t t e r t o m o v e
f o r w a r d f o r d e c i s i o n b y t h e J u s t i c e s u n d e r w h o m i t w a s p r e v i o u s l y s u b m i t t e d .
W H E R E F O R E , A p p e l l e e s r e s p e c t f u l l y r e q u e s t t h a t t h i s C o u r t e x p e d i t e t h e
i s s u a n c e o f i t s d e c i s i o n .
R e s p e c t f u l l y s u b m i t t e d .
Attorney fOf Appellees
i % i l C . M h p l b L A B A # 8 7 1 0 9 P . O . B o x 1 5 0 4 S e a r c y , A R 7 2 1 4 5 ( 5 0 1 ) 9 1 2 - 3 8 9 0 F a x : ( 5 0 1 ) 3 6 2 - 2 1 2 8 E m a i l : c k m a p l e s @ a o l . c o m
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C E R T I F I C A T E OF S E R V I C E
T h e u n d e r s i g n e d c o u n s e l h e r e b y s ta tes t h a t a t r u e a n d c o r r e c t c o p y o f t h e f o r e g o i n g
d o c u m e n t w a s s e r v e d u p o n t h e f o l l o w i n g c o u n s e l v i a e m a i l o n F e b r u a r y 1 7 , 2 0 1 5 :
C o l i n R . J o r g e n s e n , # 2 0 0 4 0 7 8 A s s i s t a n t A t t o r n e y G e n e r a l E m a i l : c o l i n . i o r g ; e n s e n ( S ) a r k a n s a s a g . g o v Attorney for State Defendants-Appellants
M i c h a e l R . R a i n w a t e r , # 7 9 2 3 4 J a s o n E . O w e n s , # 2 0 0 3 0 0 3
E m a i l : o w e n s @ r a i n f i r m . c o m Attorneys for Defendants Cheryl Evans, in her official capacity as White County Clerk, William "Larry " Clarke, in his official capacity as Lonoke County Clerk, Debbie Hartman, in her official capacity as Conway County Clerk, and Becky Lewallen, in her official capacity as Washington County Clerk.
D a v i d M a c k F u g u a , # 8 0 0 4 8 F u g u a & C a m p b e l l , P . A . E m a i l : d f u q u a @ f c - l a w v e r s . c o m Attorney for Separate Defendants Doug Curtis in his official capacity as Saline County Clerk and Larry Crane, in his official capacity as Pulaski County Clerk
R A I N W A T E R , H O L T & S E X T O N , P . A .
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C E R T I F I C A T E OF COMPLIANCE
I h e r e b y c e r t i f y t h a t I h a v e s e r v e d o n o p p o s i n g c o u n s e l a n d u n r e d a c t e d a n d , i f r e q u i r e d , a r e d a c t e d P D F d o c u m e n t t h a t c o m p l i e s w i t h t h e R u l e s o f t h e S u p r e m e C o u r t a n d t h e C o u r t o f A p p e a l s . T h e P D F d o c u m e n t s a r e i d e n t i c a l t o t h e c o r r e s p o n d i n g p a r t s o f t h e p a p e r d o c u m e n t s f r o m w h i c h t h e y w e r e c r e a t e d as f i l e d w i t h t h e c o u r t . T o t h e bes t o f m y k n o w l e d g e , i n f o r m a t i o n , a n d b e l i e f f o r m e d a f t e r s c a n n i n g t h e P D F d o c u m e n t s f o r v i r u s e s w i t h a n a n t i v i r u s p r o g r a m , t h e P D F d o c u m e n t s a r e f r e e o f c o m p u t e r v i r u s e s . A c o p y o f t h i s c e r t i f i c a t e h a s b e e n s u b m i t t e d w i t h t h e p a p e r c o p i e s f i l e d w i t h t h e c o u r t a n d h a s b e e n s e r v e d o n a l l o p p o s i n g p a r t i e s .
