The Arkansas Supreme Court building surrounded by construction in 2022. (John Sykes/Arkansas Advocate)
A Pulaski County circuit judge on Friday temporarily blocked the release of emails between an Arkansas Supreme Court justice and a former court employee.
Mark Friedman, senior editor with Arkansas Business, submitted a Freedom of Information Act request last month to the Administrative Office of the Courts and the Office of Professional Conduct seeking all communications after January 2023 between former OPC director Lisa Ballard and several individuals, including Hudson.
Ballard was one of three employees who left the OPC in short succession earlier this year . Ballard’s personnel file, which was obtained by the Advocate in May through a Freedom of Information Act request, did not include a letter of resignation or list a reason for termination .
In a complaint filed Friday, Hudson argued she is the custodian of the emails requested by Friedman under the FOIA’s definition and has administrative control over the requested records, not the AOC.