Overview
- The high court denied requests to stay the rulings and to consolidate the House District 70 and Senate District 26 cases.
- Pulaski County orders require HD 70’s election on March 3, 2026, and SD 26’s on the earliest practicable date after the 150-day window.
- Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders had set both contests for June 2026, prompting lawsuits over lost representation during the Legislature’s April fiscal session.
- State law calls for special elections within 150 days unless that timing is impracticable or unduly burdensome, with the earliest practicable date required thereafter.
- The court offered no reasoning; Justice Rhonda Wood favored faster briefing, Justice Barbara Webb did not participate, and Attorney General Tim Griffin pledged to continue the defense.