Ex-Governor Hutchinson Enters the Fight Over Sanders’s Prison Overhaul Plan
Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson has joined the legal battle between Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Attorney General Tim Griffin, and the State Board of Corrections over prison reform laws.
The bitter clash between Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and the Arkansas State Board of Corrections has gained an unexpected participant. Former Governor Asa Hutchinson, her predecessor and sometimes critic, has entered the courtroom fight launched by Attorney General Tim Griffin. Hutchinson is now aligned with attorney Abtin Mehdizadegan and the firm Hall Booth Smith P.C., lending his name and legal weight to their challenge against both Griffin and Sanders.
A Clash Over Control
At the heart of the dispute are Acts 185 and 659, measures championed by Governor Sanders that would curb the oversight authority of the Arkansas Board of Corrections. The Board resisted, and in December turned to attorney Abtin Mehdizadegan to mount a challenge. Central to the fight was Sanders’s plan to transfer inmates as a way to ease overcrowding, a move the Board argued threatened its independence.
Attorney General Tim Griffin quickly countered with a lawsuit. He claimed the Board had no authority to hire outside counsel and accused it of violating the state’s Freedom of Information Act. Even the Board’s later effort to retroactively authorize the move, Griffin argued, could not erase what he described as a clear breach of Arkansas transparency laws.
Mehdizadegan dismissed those claims, charging Griffin with misrepresenting the facts to the public.
Who Should Pay the Lawyers
The Arkansas Board of Corrections now owes attorney Abtin Mehdizadegan more than two hundred thousand dollars in legal fees. Attorney General Tim Griffin has asked the court to block the payment, calling it an improper use of taxpayer money.
In response, the Board moved to dismiss the lawsuit, accusing Griffin of pursuing a politically motivated agenda. Mehdizadegan echoed that view, saying some elected officials were placing political ambitions ahead of their constitutional responsibilities.
The Board has also found a prominent ally in former Governor Asa Hutchinson, who contends that the legislation at the center of the case violates the Arkansas Constitution by stripping the Board of its independent oversight authority.
The Constitution at Issue
The Board of Corrections also filed its own lawsuit against Governor Sanders and the Department of Corrections, arguing that the new laws were unconstitutional. The Board maintained that the legislation improperly transferred its oversight powers to the Governor and the Secretary of Corrections, in violation of Amendment 33 of the Arkansas Constitution.
The Pulaski County Circuit Court first issued a temporary restraining order and later extended it with a preliminary injunction. Governor Sanders, the Secretary of Corrections, and other state officials appealed, but the Arkansas Supreme Court declined to overturn the injunction or send the case back to a lower court. The justices also rejected the state’s bid to remove the Board’s attorney, ruling that the question was outside the limits of interlocutory review.
The Fight Goes On
Even after a series of courtroom setbacks, Attorney General Tim Griffin has held firm in his fight against restoring oversight powers to the Board of Corrections, leaving the legal battle unsettled and tensions high. Former Governor Asa Hutchinson has now stepped into the dispute, saying he hopes his involvement might encourage dialogue and move the case toward a fair resolution. Supporters argue that his intervention could help steer the clash away from wasted time and mounting legal costs, though his presence also gives added weight to the Board’s position, a development that may not sit well with the other side.
