Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Seeks Second Term

There are times when justice and the law don't go hand in hand.

No one knows this more than Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Don Corbin, who is seeking his second term in office for the state's highest court.

He was in the area recently on his campaign swing and talked about being on the court.

The Lewisville native attended college at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and returned to his home to ply his trade upon graduation.

Corbin practiced law in Lewisville and Lafayette County for 15 years before first venturing into the public arena.

He sought, and won, a seat in the state legislature as representative for Lafayette, Columbia and Miller counties. Corbin served as representative from this area for 10 years before deciding to go a different direction.

From the house, Corbin went to the bench and has been on the Arkansas Supreme Court since 1991. Justices on this court serve eight-year terms.

As a legislator, Corbin had a history as a fiscal conservative and wasn't a tax and spend democrat, though he is a democrat. "I felt the natural growth of the state could fun the needs of the people," he said.

Now, though, Corbin's job is to sit in judgement of the people of the state. This, he said, isn't an easy or popular task. Justices on the ASC must decide each and every case as it is based on the law regardless of how popular it may be.

"I enjoy what I do," he said. "I was on the Court of Appeals for 10 years and was the chief judge the last three years there.

"What concerns me are the people across the state are not aware of the function of this court."

The Arkansas Supreme Court, he said, must follow the law. The justices have a constitutional duty, both U.S. and Arkansas, to render decisions based solely upon the law.

"I believe in the system," Corbin said. "I live it. I have to be prepared to make difficult decisions even if they are politically hard on me. The court is not a democracy, but is part of it.

"Our duty is to preserve and protect the constitutions of the United States and Arkansas. Freedom and an independent judiciary are inseparable.

"I know what I'm supposed to do."

Cases get to the supreme court through courts of appeals as well as the circuit and chancery levels. "We are the court of the last resort," he said.

Decisions rendered by the state's highest court cannot be challenged unless federal law has been violated. In this instance, he said, the case in question could be appealed to the United States Supreme Court.

"The criminal justice system is working," Corbin said. "We just can't build beds fast enough." Currently, he said, there is a waiting list for convicted criminals to be sent to the Arkansas Department of Corrections. These criminals are being housed in county jails in many instances, which, in turn, creates overcrowded conditions at the local level.

"Something is wrong," he said. "We're spending $400-500 per child on education, and it's costing us $20,000 a year to house inmates. Corbin suggested spending more money on education than on housing prisoners.

The race for supreme court justice, he said, shouldn't be based on partisan politics, but on experience. As it stands, there is a combined 200 years of legal experience on the court.

To run for the office, a candidate must be a licensed attorney and at least 35-years- old.

"The people are selecting a person who will sit in judgement of them for the next eight years,"he said.

As the father of six children, Byron, Kyle, Jennifer, Allison, Slater and Ashley, Corbin understands the importance of spending quality time with them. "I have found, with my children, if we keep them busy they're less likely to get into trouble. With latchkey kids," he continued, "they have too much time on their hands. This means they have less supervision and more time to get into trouble."

Corbin suggested the Arkansas General Assembly spend more money to help the state's children stay busy because by the time he sees them, it's already too late.

And, he said, judges in Arkansas are concerned about where they can send children who violate the law because of the problems with facilities operated by the Arkansas Department of Human Services.

These facilities, he said, are cesspools, where children are abused, sexually assaulted and maltreated.

"We need to pour more money into the educational system" Corbin said. "We need to help children stay occupied. The peer pressure on teenagers is unbelievable."

Corbin suggested the state examine spending more funds on extracurricular activities such as sports, art and music to help give young people more to do with their time.

His wife, Dorcy, also an attorney, coaches girls soccer.

"Our lives circle around what the children are doing," he said. "We're concerned parents."

Discussing the race, Corbin said the voters should be concerned with whether or not a justice will preserve and protect the constitution and follow the law. If they can't base their decision on law, this is not the kind of person the state needs as a justice.

"We can't give legal advice as judges," he said. "People want stability in the law and every case that comes to us is important to the parties involved and the court. We get the toughest legal issues and the decisions we make affect everybody's lives. We set the parameters of the law."