Arkansas governor appoints 2 justices to Supreme Court, and new secretary of state

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Friday named a top attorney for the state and a state Supreme Court justice to vacancies on the court, and her deputy chief legal counsel as secretary of state.

The Republican governor’s appointments will give conservatives a 5-2 majority on the technically nonpartisan court, which has been targeted over the years by outside conservative groups.

Sanders named Justice Cody Hiland and state Solicitor General Nicholas Bronni to the court, effective Jan. 1. Sanders last year named Hiland to a vacancy on the court that expires at the end of this year.

“When I came into office nearly two years ago, we had a liberal supreme court. Not anymore,” Sanders said at a ceremony at the Capitol. “Our supreme court is now solidly conservative.”

Bronni has represented the state in several high profile cases, including one that narrowed the scope of the Voting Rights Act and another over the state’s requirement that contractors pledge not to boycott Israel. Bronni will replace Justice Karen Baker, who was elected chief justice this year.

“I come to the bench recognizing that a judge plays an important, but limited, role in our constitutional system,” Bronni said.

Hiland had been nominated as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas by President Donald Trump in 2017 and served in that position through 2020. Before being named to the court, he was state GOP chairman and served as an adviser to Sanders’ 2020 campaign for governor. Hiland will replace Justice Courtney Goodson, who was elected to another seat on the court.

“We have a special state, and the thing that makes us special is our people. So to continue serving in such a critical role is a blessing,” Hiland said.

Sanders also named Cole Jester, her deputy chief legal counsel, to succeed Secretary of State John Thurston, who will take office in January as state treasurer. Before working in Sanders’ office, Jester was an appellate clerk for Chief Judge Lavenski Smith of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

“As your secretary of state, I will fight to keep Arkansas the best state in the country by keeping our elections the most secure in the country,” Jester said.