Finance and Administration Secretary Jim Hudson addresses the Arkansas Legislative Council on Friday, Oct. 16, 2025. (Tess Vrbin/Arkansas Advocate)
The head of the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration said the state won’t pay the lawyer hired by the corrections board to represent it in lawsuits against the governor.
Jim Hudson said in a letter Tuesday to the Department of Corrections that paying attorney Abtin Mehdizadegan $300,000 would violate state law and Arkansas’ constitution, saying that the board did not follow state procurement procedures…