News/Events

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge announced today that she has been elected chair of the Southern Region of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG).

“It is an honor to represent Arkansas as the chair of the Southern Region,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “The National Association of Attorneys General is a great resource for all attorneys general across the country to collaborate on issues such as deceptive trade practices, the opioid epidemic and human trafficking.”

Rutledge also re-established and co-chairs the National Association of Attorneys General Committee on Agriculture.

Says ‘Law clerks are a valuable asset to the State’

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge welcomed a new class of law clerks for the first summer session to the Attorney General’s office. These law students work in various departments assisting with legal research, drafting memos and legal documents and accompanying lawyers at trials, client meetings and hearings.

“The law clerk program exposes students to the fulfilling experience of public service,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “Law clerks play a valuable role for the State which this program uses to foster relationships with burgeoning attorneys and provide an opportunity for students to experience a great service-learning environment as they work closely with some of Arkansas’s top attorneys.”

Brad Aldridge, a third-year student at the University of Arkansas School of Law, is clerking in the Criminal Department. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in applied mathematics from Baylor University in 2015. Aldridge is from Little Rock and graduated from Bryant High School in 2011.

Krystina Barner, a second-year student at the University of Arkansas School of Law, is clerking in the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. She graduated from the University of Arkansas in 2014 with a double major in political science and criminal justice. Barner is from Little Rock and graduated from Little Rock Central High School in 2010.

Connor Herrold, a third-year student at the University of Arkansas School of Law, is clerking in the Public Protection Department. He graduated from Hendrix College in 2016 with a degree in English Literature. Herrold is from Hot Springs, and graduated from Lakeside High School in 2012.

Julia Stover, a third-year student at the University of Arkansas School of Law, is clerking in the Civil Department. She graduated from the University of Arkansas with a double major in criminal justice and sociology in 2016. Stover is from Texarkana, Texas, and graduated from Pleasant Grove High School in Texarkana, Texas in 2013.

Jordan Sumler, a third-year student at the University of Arkansas School of Law, is clerking in the State Agencies Department. He graduated from the University of Arkansas with a degree in English in 2015. Sumler is from Cabot and graduated from Cabot High School in 2012.

About Attorney General Leslie Rutledge

Leslie Carol Rutledge is the 56th Attorney General of Arkansas. She is the first woman and first Republican in Arkansas history to be elected to the office. Since taking office, she has begun a Mobile Office program, a Military and Veterans Initiative, a Metal Theft Prevention program and a Cooperative Disability Investigations program. She has led efforts to teach internet safety, combat domestic violence and make the office the top law firm for Arkansans. Rutledge serves as Chairwoman of the Republican Attorneys General Association and Vice Chairwoman of the National Association of Attorneys General Southern Region. She also re-established and co-chairs the National Association of Attorneys General Committee on Agriculture.

A native of Batesville, she is a graduate of the University of Arkansas and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law. Rutledge clerked for the Arkansas Court of Appeals, was Deputy Counsel for Gov. Mike Huckabee, served as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in Lonoke County and subsequently was an Attorney at the Department of Human Services before serving as Counsel at the Republican National Committee. Rutledge and her husband, Boyce, have a home in Pulaski County and a farm in Crittenden County.

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Says, ‘Judges should apply the law as written’

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge led a coalition of seven states in filing an amicus brief in support of Midwest Geriatric Management, LLC arguing that the courts may not unilaterally rewrite and expand Title VII. The brief argues that, because Congress has chosen not to extend Title VII protection to sexual orientation, the courts may not do so on their own.

“It is my duty to protect the separation of powers written in the Constitution,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “Judges should apply the law as written by the people’s representatives in Congress and should not add to or ‘creatively apply’ the law because they believe a different law should have been written and applied. Regardless of whether one thinks Congress should extend discrimination protection to sexual orientation, Congress has clearly chosen not to do so dozens of times. We must stand for the rule of law in all cases, not simply the easy ones.”

Arkansas is joined in the amicus brief by Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Texas.