by Tess Vrbin, Arkansas Advocate
August 7, 2025

Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts Director Marty Sullivan began serving on a national board of judicial administrators July 30, according to a Thursday AOC news release.

Sullivan’s term on the board of directors for the Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA) will last three years. COSCA consists of the chief executives of the court systems in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories.

Sullivan has worked for AOC since 2003 and served as Judicial Branch Education Director from 2007 to 2017, when he was appointed director by the state Supreme Court’s then-Chief Justice, John Dan Kemp.

He has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Arkansas and master’s degrees from Michigan State University and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, according to Thursday’s news release.

Sullivan’s “vast experience” in judicial administration makes him “a valued addition to the COSCA Board of Directors,” COSCA President Corey Steel said in the release.

In a statement, Sullivan said he is “honored” to serve on the board of “an institution that plays a vital role in strengthening the administration of justice in our country.”

“I have deep respect for my colleagues and am humbled by the trust they have placed in me,” Sullivan said. “I look forward to contributing to policy efforts that positively impact the lives of citizens who rely on our nation’s courts.”

Arkansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Karen Baker attempted to fire Sullivan and nine other AOC employees in January. Five of the other six justices blocked Baker’s attempted unilateral decision, calling it “retaliatory” and beyond the scope of her authority.

The same five justices made an employment agreement with Sullivan in December, guaranteeing him job security until the end of 2032 and nearly $1.6 million in pay over that time. The agreement came after Baker, who had been elected but not sworn in as the state’s first female chief justice, entered Sullivan’s office without his permission when he was absent on Dec. 4.

Arkansas Supreme Court chief justice says dispute over her authority could lead to litigation

Baker “was observed looking throughout Mr. Sullivan’s office, including the area behind his desk” and harassed AOC staff, according to a human resources report on the incident made public in March.

On Jan. 13, Sullivan asked Baker to stay away from the AOC offices and not to communicate with his staff, pending the conclusion of a review by the state’s judicial discipline commission.

Baker filed an administrative civil appeal with the Supreme Court against Sullivan later in January; the litigation is still pending.

COSCA works closely with state Supreme Court chief justices “on issues of mutual interest,” according to Thursday’s news release.

Arkansas Advocate is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Arkansas Advocate maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sonny Albarado for questions: info@arkansasadvocate.com.

The post Arkansas courts director elected to national board of judicial administrators appeared first on arkansasadvocate.com

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

The content presents a factual and balanced report on the professional achievements of Marty Sullivan and the internal disputes within the Arkansas judicial system. It avoids partisan language or ideological framing, focusing instead on institutional roles, official statements, and documented events. The coverage of conflict between judicial figures is presented with references to multiple perspectives and official sources, reflecting a neutral tone without favoring any political side.

SUMMARY: A Florida man, Derrick Scudder, was sentenced to life in prison in Arkansas for leading a high-speed chase across two states while trafficking suitcases containing 240 pounds of methamphetamine and over 2 pounds of fentanyl. The dangerous chase involved speeds over 110 mph near schools, crashing into police vehicles, and a foot pursuit before arrest. Scudder, with ten prior felony convictions, pleaded guilty to all charges. A jury recommended life imprisonment plus 80 years for trafficking and fleeing police, marking the first life sentence for fentanyl trafficking in Crawford County. His co-defendant, Matthew Bunch, awaits trial.

According to arrest affidavits, police found two suitcases containing 240 pounds of methamphetamine and more than two pounds of fentanyl after a high-speed chase ended near Alma, Arkansas in October 2024.

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by Shauneen Miranda and Jacob Fischler, Arkansas Advocate
August 6, 2025

WASHINGTON — Fueled by President Donald Trump’s aims to bolster the U.S. House’s razor-thin GOP majority in the 2026 midterm elections, a rare mid-decade redistricting fight in Texas grew increasingly bitter in recent days and engulfed other states.

As Democratic legislators in the Lone Star State fled to block a new congressional map, a handful of both blue and red states eyed their own redistricting plans, lawsuits cropped up and members of Congress pledged bills to curb redistricting wars.

While Texas is the only state that has so far taken formal action to redraw its U.S. House lines, a full-blown arms race could be imminent.

Here’s a breakdown on the redistricting battle as the drama unfolds:

How did all of this interest in redistricting kick off?

Republicans in Texas drew a new congressional map at the urging of Trump that could give the GOP five crucial new congressional seats in 2026.

Midterm elections typically lead to the loss of congressional seats for a president’s party. 

Meanwhile, the GOP currently holds 219 seats in the House, while Democrats hold 212 spots, with four vacancies. That extremely narrow majority has created immense challenges for U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, as he tries to enact Trump’s sweeping agenda and cater to the president’s demands as well as factions in the GOP conference.

Though congressional districts are typically redrawn every decade following each U.S. Census, the move, particularly in Texas, is not unprecedented and is allowed.

What’s going on in Texas?

Texas Republicans unveiled a draft of the new congressional map in late July, which looks to reshape and flip major metro areas’ districts held by Democrats.

According to The Texas Tribune, the Department of Justice sent Texas’ leaders a letter in early July that said four of its districts violate the U.S. Constitution. The proposed map would dismantle those districts, per the Tribune.

More than 50 of Texas’ Democratic legislators left the state to try to block the legislature from adopting the new map, according to the Tribune.

This move has drawn the ire of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who went so far as to file a lawsuit asking to remove the Texas House Democratic Caucus chair, state Rep. Gene Wu, after Wu left the state.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also said Tuesday that he will pursue a court ruling that declares the seats vacant for the House Democrats who do not return by Friday.

Texas GOP U.S. Sen. John Cornyn has also called on the FBI “to take any appropriate steps to aid in Texas state law enforcement efforts to locate or arrest potential lawbreakers who have fled the state.” Trump on Tuesday, asked by a reporter if the FBI should “get involved,” said, “Well, they may have to.”

How is California reacting?

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been among the most vocal Democratic governors in suggesting retaliating against Texas Republicans by redrawing his populous blue state’s own lines before the 2026 elections.

State laws in California and other Democratic states make mid-decade redistricting tougher than it is in Texas.

While pro-democracy groups have praised California’s nonpartisan commission as the “gold standard” of independent redistricting, Newsom has indicated he would ask state lawmakers to temporarily scrap it to join the arms race he says Trump started in Texas.

At a Monday press conference, Newsom justified his exploration of mid-decade redistricting in the Golden State by describing Trump’s recent and historic record as anti-democratic.

“These folks don’t play by the rules,” Newsom said. “If they can’t win playing the game with the existing set of rules, they’ll change the rules. That’s what Donald Trump has done … Here is someone who tried to break this country, tried to light democracy on fire on Jan. 6. He recognizes he’s going to lose in the midterms.”

What other states are looking at potentially redistricting?

Vice President JD Vance is slated to visit Indiana Thursday in an attempt to push redistricting, according to the Indiana Capital Chronicle.

Indiana GOP Gov. Mike Braun said that as of now, no commitments have been made, when asked about redistricting efforts in the Hoosier State, per the Capital Chronicle.

Leaders of large Democratic states, in addition to California, are considering their own redistricting in response to Texas.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul wrote in an op-ed published in the Houston Chronicle Tuesday that she would “not sit on the sidelines” and watch “Republicans dismantle democracy.”

“What Texas is doing isn’t a clever strategy, it’s political arson — torching our democracy to cling to power,” Hochul wrote. “The only viable recourse is to fight fire with fire.”

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker appeared alongside Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin and a group of exiled Texas Democratic lawmakers at a news conference Tuesday. Pritzker said it was “possible” the state would pursue redistricting, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Other Democratic governors — even including Laura Kelly of ruby-red Kansas — raised the prospect during a Democratic Governors Association meeting in Wisconsin last week of pursuing mid-decade redistricting if Texas follows through.

Republican states are also considering jumping in the fray.

Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin, a Republican, told a news radio station last week that it was “likely” lawmakers would convene in a special session to redraw district lines after pressure from Trump.

And Rep. Don Bacon, a Republican who holds the most competitive of Nebraska’s three U.S. House seats but plans to step down, told the Nebraska Examiner that Republicans in the state were having conversations about potential redistricting.

What downside do some see?

An arms race to shorten the cycle for redrawing congressional lines could come at a cost for efforts to overhaul the redistricting process.

Common Cause, a national pro-democracy group that advocates for election reforms including nonpartisan redistricting, urged Democrats not to respond to Texas.

A redistricting arms race would only result in “rigged elections across America,” Emily Eby French, the policy director for Common Cause Texas, said on a press call last week. It was wrong for Republicans to put “a thumb on the scale” through redistricting, she said, but also wrong for Democrats to do the same.

“The real solution is for Democrats to help us lift the Republican thumb off of the Texas scale and every other scale in America until we reach free and fair elections for everyone.”

Are party leaders egging this on?

Trump, whose urging appeared to prompt Texas Republicans to action, has consistently pushed lawmakers in that state to reinforce the GOP advantage there.

Tuesday, he said on CNBC that Republicans were “entitled” to five more House seats in Texas.

Martin, the DNC chair, responded in Illinois.

“No party is entitled to any district,” he said. “We have to go out and earn the votes.”

Still, Martin advised Democrats in blue states to do the opposite by responding in kind to Texas Republicans.

In an interview with States Newsroom last week, Martin suggested Democratic states drop any commitment to nonpartisan redistricting in response to Texas.

“We’re not here to tie one of our hands behind our back,” he said. “We can’t be the only party that’s playing by the rules.”

How is Congress reacting?

At least two GOP House lawmakers — representing blue states looking at retaliatory redistricting efforts against Trump — are taking it upon themselves to introduce bills in Congress that bar these initiatives.

GOP Rep. Kevin Kiley of California introduced a bill in the House this week that would ban mid-decade redistricting across the country.

Kiley said Newsom “is trying to subvert the will of voters and do lasting damage to democracy in California,” in a statement earlier this week.

“Fortunately, Congress has the ability to protect California voters using its authority under the Elections Clause of the U.S. Constitution,” he said. “This will also stop a damaging redistricting war from breaking out across the country.”

Rep. Mike Lawler, a New York Republican, also said he plans to introduce legislation to prohibit “partisan gerrymandering and mid-decade redistricting.”

The New York Republican told CNN on Tuesday that “this is fundamentally why Congress is broken,” adding that “you do not have competitive districts and so, most members are focused on primaries and not actually engaging in a general election.” 

Arkansas Advocate is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Arkansas Advocate maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sonny Albarado for questions: info@arkansasadvocate.com.

The post Why congressional redistricting is blowing up across the US this summer appeared first on arkansasadvocate.com

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Left

This article presents a generally factual and balanced overview of the redistricting conflict, detailing actions and responses from both Republican and Democratic actors. However, the language slightly leans toward a Center-Left perspective by emphasizing concerns over GOP-led redistricting efforts described as attempts to “dismantle democracy” and “political arson,” while highlighting Democratic efforts as defensive or retaliatory measures. The article includes critical quotes from Democratic leaders and organizations, framing GOP actions as aggressive and problematic. Yet, it fairly covers Republican viewpoints and legislative responses, maintaining overall journalistic balance without overt partisan endorsement.