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Arkansas Supreme Court issues multiple per curiam orders, denies rehearing in Barefield appeal
Summary
On Nov. 7, 2024, the Arkansas Supreme Court issued a slate of per curiam orders and rulings on procedural motions, including denial of a petition for rehearing in Tyler Joseph Barefield’s appeal and several rulings on motions to dismiss, belated briefs, and voluntary license surrenders.
The Arkansas Supreme Court issued a series of per curiam orders and rulings on Nov. 7, 2024, denying a petition for rehearing in Tyler Joseph Barefield’s criminal appeal and deciding numerous procedural motions in civil and criminal appeals.
The court denied a petition for rehearing in CR-23-706, Tyler Joseph Barefield v. State of Arkansas, from Pope County Circuit Court. Special Justice J. Cliff McKinney II agreed with the denial; Chief Justice Kemp did not participate in that order.
The per curiam orders also resolved several motions: in CR-24-350, Anthony Beard v. State of Arkansas, the court granted the appellee’s motion to dismiss (Justice Webb noted he would deny); in CR-24-388, the court granted Chris Allen Oliger’s motion to file a belated brief; and in CR-24-477, the court granted Billy Nelson’s motion to substitute a brief. In CR-24-680, Nathan Pruss’s petitions for writs (including certiorari and quo warranto) were denied, and his motions for temporary relief and to exceed page limits were deemed moot.
On the civil docket the court granted a motion to dismiss the petition in CV-24-632, Benjamin Isaac Sharum v. Jack Hensley and others, and noted multiple related motions were moot. The court also entered disciplinary-related orders granting voluntary surrender or surrender in lieu of disbarment in three matters: In Re Lauren Michelle Wood (D-24-665), In Re Kenneth Vaughn Knight (D-24-686), and In Re Teri Lisa Chambers (D-24-693).
A number of pro se motions were denied or treated as moot, including a pro se motion for records in CR-90-43, Dennis J. Ventress v. State of Arkansas (denied). The court’s docket entry for the day also listed several motions submitted for decision and a petition for rehearing pending in CR-06-1346 (Richard Leon Strong v. State of Arkansas). The docket reflects that CR-24-263, Kevon Turner v. State of Arkansas, from Pulaski County Circuit Court, was orally argued and listed as submitted.
Most entries on the Nov. 7 docket concern procedural relief—extensions of time, motions to dismiss, motions to file belated or substituted briefs, and determinations that certain requests are moot. The orders show occasional noted disagreement: several entries record that one or more justices would have reached a different result (for example, Justice Webb’s notation in CR-24-350 and alternate views recorded in other items). The orders do not record oral argument transcripts or vote tallies for the per curiam orders listed.
The Nov. 7 entries affect litigants and counsel by resolving procedural posture on a range of appeals and by finalizing several attorney-discipline matters through accepted license surrenders. Matters left pending on the submitted list include a petition for rehearing (CR-06-1346) and other motions noted as submitted for decision.
Background: The Arkansas Supreme Court issues per curiam orders to dispose of many procedural and dispositive motions without full written opinions when the court’s disposition does not require a signed majority opinion. The Nov. 7 docket contains multiple such entries across criminal, civil, and disciplinary dockets.
