Cite as 2009 Ark. 546 SUPREME COURT OF ARKANSAS Opinion Delivered October 29, 2009 IN RE ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NUMBER 14–ADMINISTRATIVE PLANS PER CURIAM Pursuant to Administrative Order Number 14, administrative plans have been submitted by the various judicial circuits. The judges of the Seventh Judicial Circuit were unable to agree upon a plan; consequently, the Supreme Court pursuant to Administrative Order Number 14 must formulate a plan for it. With the exception of the Seventh Circuit, all of the administrative plans are approved as submitted. These plans shall be effective January 1, 2010, unless otherwise noted. With regard to the Seventh Circuit, it appears that the judges are in agreement on all points except for the assignment of cases in the juvenile division. We adopt as the Administrative Plan for the Seventh Circuit, to be effective January 1, 2010, the features upon which the judges are in agreement, and this court has determined to whom cases in the juvenile division will be assigned. This plan is appended below.
Cite as 2009 Ark. 546 ADMINISTRATIVE PLAN OF THE SEVENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT Effective January 1, 2010 PREFACE The following plan for case management and administrative procedures has essentially been in place since January 1, 1999. It divides cases and workloads in a substantially equal fashion between the two judges of the Seventh Judicial Circuit: Chris E Williams, Circuit Judge Division I Phillip H. Shirron, Circuit Judge Division II PLAN 1. Cases filed in the Circuit Court of the Seventh Judicial Circuit shall be designated by the Clerks of the various Courts according to the following subject matter divisions: Criminal, Civil, Juvenile, Probate, and Domestic Relations. 2. In Grant County, all of the cases in each of the above subject matter divisions, except as hereinafter provided, shall be divided equally by the random mechanical selection described as follows: Fifty (50) blue chips and fifty (50) red chips will be placed in a covered box. Division I is designated red and Division II designated blue. A separate box for each subject matter, with said chips, will be maintained by the respective Circuit and Probate Clerks of Grant County. As each new case is filed, the respective Clerk will 2
Cite as 2009 Ark. 546 randomly draw a chip from the box and the color drawn will designate the Division to which the case will be assigned. When all one hundred chips have been drawn, the process will begin anew. 3. In Hot Spring County, the new A.O.C. Case Management Program automatically assigns judges in all cases except the criminal division which is currently done according to the above method in Grant County. Criminal cases shall be assigned with the A.O.C. Case Management Program when it is operational. 4. Juvenile Division. Division I will be assigned the juvenile subject matter division cases in the Seventh Judicial Circuit until December 31, 2010. Commencing January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2013, these cases shall be assigned to Division 2. 5. Drug Court. Per Act 576 of 2007 and the Supreme Court Per Curiam, the circuit has a drug court docket, and Judge Chris E Williams, Division 1, is by agreement of both judges the presiding judge of that docket. 6. Through December 31, 2010, Division II will be assigned all civil and criminal district court appeals, all domestic abuse petitions, and all cases prosecuted by the Child Support Enforcement Division of the State of Arkansas to compensate for the juvenile subject matter assignment. In addition, Division II will conduct as far as practical all plea and arraignments and all assignments of public defenders. To coincide with the assignment of juvenile cases commencing January 1, 2011, as set out in paragraph 4, the matters set out in this paragraph 6 will be assigned to Division 1 when Division 2 is assigned the juvenile 3
Cite as 2009 Ark. 546 division cases. 7. The A.O.C. calendar year statistics indicate that the assignment of cases as set out in this plan provides for a substantially equal apportionment of cases among the two judges. When a case is reassigned because of recusal, the receiving judge shall locate a case of similar nature and by order transfer from its existing caseload to the sending court to insure parity in numbers. 8. Each judge in the Seventh Circuit may continue to exercise jurisdiction over all matters, regardless of subject matter division, and to act for, in behalf of, and in substitution for the other judge when circumstances warrant, when it is appropriate for the convenience of the litigants, attorneys, and witnesses, and at all other times when not to act may likely cause justifiable criticism of the judiciary of the Seventh Judicial Circuit. 4
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