Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the Republican governor of Arkansas, has chosen her State Supreme Court justice nominee, a decision she says would secure the court’s first conservative plurality in the state’s history.
According to a report, Sanders announced in a tweet on July 3 that she had selected former prosecutor and U.S. attorney Cody Hiland to the Arkansas Supreme Court, creating a conservative majority for the first time in the Court’s history. She said she has faith in Cody’s ability to serve the state successfully as a result of his many years of expertise in the legal field.
If the Republican-controlled state legislature approves Hiland, he will replace Democrat Justice Robin Wynne, who passed away last month at the age of 70. Hiland will serve in this capacity until a successor is chosen and sworn in in 2025.
Until recently, Hiland presided over the Arkansas Republican Party as its chairman. On Monday, he was appointed to the state’s highest court, therefore, he resigned as party chairman. Hiland worked for Sanders’ gubernatorial campaign, and Trump nominated him as the U.S. attorney for Arkansas’s Eastern District in 2017.
With Hiland’s nomination, conservatives will have majorities in the governor’s office, legislature, and the courts. Sanders will be able to more easily implement her plans in Arkansas as a result.
In a tweet sent on July 3, the Republican senator from Arkansas Tom Cotton praised Hiland’s appointment, calling him an outstanding choice and commended him for being impartial and fair, and claimed he would enforce the law without favor.
According to Ballotpedia, Republican Sarah Huckabee Sanders serves as Governor of Arkansas. Her term started on January 10, 2023, and will end on January 12, 2027.
Sanders has served as White House Press Secretary for the Trump (R) administration.
She is the founding partner of Second Street Strategies.
Sanders was the national political director for her father, Mike Huckabee’s 2008 campaign. She served as the campaign manager for Huckabee for his 2016 Presidential campaign.
She was also a senior advisor for both Donald Trump and Tim Pawlenty in their respective campaigns for president in 2012 and 2016.
