Jim Hannah
Jim Hannah was the chief justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court. He was first elected to the court in the state's nonpartisan popular elections in 2001, and was re-elected in 2008. He was elected to his eight-year term as chief justice in 2004.[1] Hannah retired from the court at the end of August 2015, due to a health issue.[2] Hannah died in January 2016 at the age of 70.
Education
Hannah earned his undergraduate degree in accounting from the University of Arkansas. He went on to receive his J.D. from the University of Arkansas School of Law.[1]
Career
Hannah was a former city attorney for the cities of Augusta, Bradford, Des Arc, Garner, Kensett and Rosebud. From 1969 to 1978, he served as a city attorney for Searcy, Ark.. He has also worked as a deputy prosecuting attorney for Woodruff County and was a city judge in Kensett and Rosebud. From 1976 to 1978, he was a White County juvenile judge and, from 1979 to 1999, a chancery and probate judge for the 17th Judicial District. He also worked as a private practice lawyer in the law firm Lightle, Tedder, Hannah & Beeb before joining the supreme court in 2001. He held Position 5 on the Arkansas Supreme Court from 2001 until 2004 when he was elected to Position 1 as Chief Justice.[1]
Awards and associations
Awards
- Ozark Ambassador Award, North Arkansas College Foundation
Associations
- Board of Directors, State Justice Institute, 2010
- Past President, Arkansas Judicial Council
- Member, Arkansas Bar Association
- Chair, Conference of Chief Justices Committee on Courts, Children & Families
- Member, Conference of Chief Justices Judicial Excellence Committee
- Fellow, American Bar Association
- Member, Committee on Federal-State Jurisdiction of the Judicial Conference of the United States
- Board Member, Arkansas Judicial Council
- Past President, Arkansas Judicial Council
- Member, Conference of Chief Justices Government Affairs Committee
- Member, Committee on Federal - State Jurisdiction of the Judicial Conference of the United States
- Member, Executive Session for State Court Leaders, Harvard, University
- Past Member, American Judges Association
- Past President, White County Bar Association
- Past Treasurer, White County Bar Association
- Past Secretary, White County Bar Association
- Former Chairman, Arkansas Court Reporters Examiners Board
- Chairman, Drug Court Advisory Committee
- Secretary, Arkansas Board of Pardons and Paroles, 1972-1979
- Past Chairman of the Board of Advisors, Wilbur Mills Alcoholism Treatment Center
- Former Member of the Board of Directors, Kiwanis Club of Searcy
- Co-founder, Kiwanis Little League Basketball
- Chairman, Kiwanis Little League Basketball
- Former Director, Kiwanis Little League Baseball
- Former Coach, Little Leauge Baseball and Basketball
- Former President, University of Arkansas Medical Sciences Parents Club
- Member, Presbytery of Arkansas Nominations Committee
- Former Deacon, First Presbyterian Church of Searcy[1][3]
Elections
2008
| Arkansas Supreme Court, Chief Justice, Position 1 2008 General election results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
Jim Hannah 
|
Approved | |||
| Unopposed | ||||
- Click here for 2008 General Election Results from the Arkansas Secretary of State.
Hannah ran unopposed to win re-election in 2008.[4]
2004
| Arkansas Supreme Court, Chief Justice, Position 1 2004 General election results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Jim Hannah
|
191,695 | 62.5% | ||
| Wendell Griffen | 114,835 | 37.5% | ||
- Click here for 2004 General Election Results from the Arkansas Secretary of State.
2000
Hannah was elected to the Arkansas Supreme Court in 2000.
- Jim Hannah - 57% of votes
- Max Koonce - 43% of votes[5]
Noteworthy cases
Arkansas Marriage Amendment
The Arkansas Marriage Amendment, Proposal 3 (2004) came before the Arkansas Supreme Court and ultimately passed the court. The argument brought before the court was mainly a concern of a misleading Ballot measure title that incorporated legalese. The measure passed the court and was added to the Arkansas 2004 ballot measures for the election in November that year. The measure passed and has since amended the constitution.[6]
The amendment's text stated that, “Marriage consists only of the union of one man and one woman. Legal status for unmarried persons which is identical or substantially similar to marital status shall not be valid or recognized in Arkansas, except that the legislature may recognize a common law marriage from another state between a man and a woman. The legislature has the power to determine the capacity of persons to marry, subject to this amendment, and the legal rights, obligations, privileges, and immunities of marriage.”[7]
Justice Jim Hannah argued in his dissent that the name of the ballot measure was misleading and should have used the popular name of the measure in an effort be upfront and forthright with the voters. He also stated that, "The term 'legal status for unmarried persons' is hopelessly vague and ambiguous. The legal status of unmarried persons is clearly 'unmarried.'"[8]
Political ideology
In October 2012, political science professors Adam Bonica and Michael Woodruff of Stanford University attempted to determine the partisan ideology of state supreme court justices. They created a scoring system in which a score above 0 indicated a more conservative-leaning ideology, while scores below 0 were more liberal.
Hannah received a campaign finance score of -0.49, indicating a liberal ideological leaning. This was more liberal than the average score of -0.48 that justices received in Arkansas.
The study was based on data from campaign contributions by the judges themselves, the partisan leaning of those who contributed to the judges' campaigns, or, in the absence of elections, the ideology of the appointing body (governor or legislature). This study was not a definitive label of a justice, but an academic summary of various relevant factors.[9]
See also
External links
- Arkansas Supreme Court
- Highlights of Arkansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Jim Hannah at UAM
- ACLU Disappointed with Arkansas Supreme Court's Decision on Misleading "Marriage" Ballot Initiative (10/7/2004)
- Amendment 80 to the Arkansas Constitution
- Times Record Online, "Arkansas Supreme Court Orders Re-Examination of Killer's Case," November 6, 2009
- Arkansas Courts, 2011 State of the Judiciary address
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Arkansas Judiciary, "Chief Justice Jim Hannah," accessed August 17, 2015
- ↑ Gavel Grab, "Arkansas Chief Justice Announces Retirement," August 14, 2015
- ↑ KATV.com, "U.S. Senate Confirms Chief Justice Hannah," June 22, 2010
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "2008 Certified Election Results," accessed August 17, 2015
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "2000 Certified Election Results," archived November 28, 2008
- ↑ CNN.com, "2004 Ballot Measures Election Coverage," accessed August 17, 2015
- ↑ Marriage Law Foundation, "Arkansas Marriage Law Amendments, Text of Arkansas Constitutional Amendment 83 (2004)," accessed August 17, 2015
- ↑ American Civil Liberties Union "ACLU Disappointed with Arkansas Supreme Court's Decision on Misleading "Marriage" Ballot Initiative" October 7, 2004
- ↑ Stanford University, "State Supreme Court Ideology and 'New Style' Judicial Campaigns," October 31, 2012
Federal courts:
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Arkansas, Western District of Arkansas • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Arkansas, Western District of Arkansas
State courts:
Arkansas Supreme Court • Arkansas Court of Appeals • Arkansas Circuit Courts • Arkansas District Courts
State resources:
Courts in Arkansas • Arkansas judicial elections • Judicial selection in Arkansas
