Arkansas Supreme Court (Courtesy Photo)
Members of the Arkansas Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a case filed by Justice Courtney Hudson seeking to block the release of her emails from a public records request and have referred her for disciplinary investigation.
In an unsigned per curiam opinion issued Tuesday, the state’s high court vacated a preliminary injunction granted by Pulaski County Circuit Judge Patricia James on Monday and dismissed the underlying complaint with prejudice for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction. “With prejudice” means the case cannot be refiled.
Hudson and Justice Karen Baker dissented. The opinion said written opinions would follow, but none had been filed as of Tuesday afternoon.
The state’s high court referred Hudson to the Arkansas Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission for investigation because the case implicates potential Arkansas Code of Judicial Conduct and Arkansas Rules of Professional Conduct violations, “particularly the flagrant breaches of confidentiality and the public trust,” the opinion said.