Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Letter To The Editor - Support Ammendment 3

Arkansans deserve a judicial system that is understandable, accessible and untainted by partisan politics. We have a chance to put such a system in place with the passage of Amendment 3 at the general election this November 7. It is an opportunity we must not squander.

To make our judicial system understandable Amendment 3 will combine our state's confusing trial courtschancery, circuit and probate courts  into one Circuit Court. Arkansas is the only state that still maintains such an artificially fragmented judicial system. What this means to the average citizen is that a lawsuit filed in the wrong court can be reserved on appeal, without even considering the merits of the case. To repeat, Arkansas is the only state where this can happen.

This change will also make our judicial system accessible. Under our present system many Arkansas citizens living in rural areas have to wait for the right kind of judge to come to the courthouse to take care of simple legal matters, such as a child custody issue, an uncontested divorce, or to accpet a criminal plea. By combining the power and jurisdiction of Chancery and Circuit Court into trial court, any judge can handle whatever issue is brought before the court. Rural Arkansas will no longer have to wait for justice.

Amendment 3 will also continue the popular election of our judges in state trial courts and the appellate courts, but candidates for judge will no longer run as a Democrat or Republican. This will eliminate the appearance of partisanship by our state court judges.

It is time for us to modernize our judicial system. Vote for Amendment 3  the new judicial article for our constitution.

A. Glenn Vasser

Prescott