Hearing on the Board of Corrections case is rescheduled for next week

Little Rock, Arkansas – Tim Griffin, the attorney general of Arkansas, commented the lawsuit’s postponement.

“I pray that opposing counsel and his family are well. We were prepared to make our case today and look forward to doing so next week.”

A postponement of the Thursday preliminary injunction hearing was made because the wife of the board attorney went into labor.

A restraining order is also being extended to January 4, 2024, when the hearing is scheduled to take place.

This hearing discusses a lawsuit the Board of Corrections filed in opposition to a state law that took away the Board of Corrections Secretary Joe Profiri’s firing authority. The lawsuit was brought about by the Sanders administration’s intention to proceed with the opening of hundreds of new temporary prison beds, which the Board of Corrections had not authorized.

The panel decided to suspend Secretary Profiri, who was confirmed by the board earlier this year after being appointed by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, with pay by a vote of 3-2.

The complaint, which was filed on December 14, was the first to be filed in the growing legal dispute over control of Arkansas’ prison system.

Democrats in Arkansas have denounced Sanders and her administration for attempting to take full control of the state’s prison system, claiming that this may be against the state constitution.

Last month, Sanders had openly chastised the board for not completely approving the request for interim beds.