Cody Hiland was appointed to the Arkansas Supreme Court on Monday by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, heralding a conservative majority on the court.
Arkansas, the last Southern state to turn red, is becoming even more so in the brief tenure of Sanders, who took office in January.
State Republicans last year elected the 51-year-old Hiland as chairman of the state party. From 2017 to 2020, he served as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas following his appointment by then-President Donald Trump.
Hiland also served as legal counsel for the Arkansas Department of Public Safety and prosecutor for the 20th Judicial District of Arkansas.
He was active in Sanders’ 2022 campaign for governor.
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“Today, I appointed former prosecutor and U.S. attorney Cody Hiland to the Arkansas Supreme Court — marking the first time the Court will have a conservative majority,” the governor tweeted Monday.
“Cody brings decades of legal experience to the job — and I am confident he will serve our state well,” she said.
Today, I appointed former prosecutor and U.S. attorney Cody Hiland to the Arkansas Supreme Court — marking the first time the Court will have a conservative majority.
Cody brings decades of legal experience to the job — and I am confident he will serve our state well. pic.twitter.com/w1gmAAyxO8
— Sarah Huckabee Sanders (@SarahHuckabee) July 3, 2023
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Sanders’ appointment of Hiland came as the result of the recent death from leukemia of 70-year-old Justice Robin Wynne.
Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton tweeted that Hiland’s appointment was “an outstanding selection.”
“Cody Hiland is a good friend who is fair, impartial, and will apply the law without favor,” the Republican said.
“A great day for Arkansas.”
An outstanding selection by @SarahHuckabee.
Cody Hiland is a good friend who is fair, impartial, and will apply the law without favor.
A great day for Arkansas. #ARPX https://t.co/JLIjb08JgI
— Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) July 3, 2023
Asked to comment on the appointment, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin referred The Western Journal to social media, where he tweeted a description of Hiland as “an outstanding appointment.”
Congratulations to Associate Justice Cody Hiland! Cody’s experience as a U.S. Attorney and many years of both public service and private practice will serve him well on the Arkansas Supreme Court. He is an outstanding appointment! #arnews pic.twitter.com/gbW8gr9CF2
— Attorney General Tim Griffin (@AGTimGriffin) July 3, 2023
Northwest Arkansas businessman Joe Maynard, one of the founders of the state conservative watchdog organization Conduit for Commerce, told The Western Journal, “We’re good with him.”
Hiland’s appointment is one more indication of the strong conservative leadership presented by Sanders.
Many of us who are state political activists were unsure what her governorship would bring, even though she shone in the brutal position of press secretary for Donald Trump.
Was she coming in as Big Foot on the Huckabee name, or was she the real deal?
One glimpse of the new gubernatorial administration was the December 2022 assumption by Sanders insider Hiland of chairmanship of the state party. He would introduce himself around the state not only as a Republican but as a follower of Jesus Christ.
That was a delightful surprise.
Indeed, Sanders recently pushed back against efforts to remove her children’s Christian artwork on the sidewalk of the governor’s mansion.
Values expressed at meetings I attend at the Washington County Republican Committee sometimes seem to resemble a church service.
Recent victories in the state legislature regarding school choice along with restrictions on pushing transgenderism on children and obscene books in public libraries reflect those values and have been credited to Sanders’ leadership.
And as we’re seeing with Trump’s appointments at the national level, all kinds of Supreme Court seats are critical.
A conservative majority on the Arkansas Supreme Court inched closer with the election of Barbara Webb to the court in 2020. She is the wife of Doyle Webb, a longtime state Republican Party chairman.
Although judicial elections in Arkansas are technically nonpartisan, many times judicial candidates can discreetly telegraph their partisan bents. Indeed, given the current political polarity, some have called for removing the façade to let judicial elections be openly partisan.
The appointment of Hiland tips the balance to the right.
It’s one more herald in the ongoing conservative good news coming out of Arkansas.
Given Democratic control from Reconstruction days until recent years, it’s been a long time in coming.
