Arkansas Attorney General Opinions
Free plain-English summaries of attorney general opinions issued in Arkansas, with full citations and the original source on every page.
No Arkansas opinions match these filters
Try a different search term or clear the filters.
How do you get a citizen initiative on the Arkansas ballot, and why does the AG reject proposed ballot titles?
The Attorney General rejected the proposed 'Medical Marijuana Patient Employment Protection Act.' The sponsor submitted no ballot title (which alone requires rejection), the text lacked the required e…
Did the Arkansas Attorney General certify the popular name and ballot title for a proposed constitutional amendment that would abolish the office of constable?
Yes, with substituted language. Attorney General Tim Griffin substituted a more concise popular name ('The Constable Amendment of 2026') and a revised ballot title ('This is a proposed amendment to th…
Did the Arkansas Attorney General eventually certify the ballot title for the four-year-term-of-office initiative for justices of the peace?
Yes, after the sponsor revised the proposal. AG Tim Griffin certified a substituted popular name and ballot title for David Dinwiddie's resubmitted initiated amendment to extend justice-of-the-peace t…
Why did the Arkansas Attorney General reject the proposed ballot title for changing justice-of-the-peace and constable terms from two years to four?
Because the ballot title described a December 31, 2026 cutoff date that was nowhere in the actual amendment text. AG Tim Griffin rejected the popular name and ballot title for David Dinwiddie's propos…
Why did the Arkansas Attorney General reject 'The Natural Environment Amendment' ballot title for the third time, and what would the sponsor need to fix?
The AG rejected the ballot title because the underlying amendment text is too vague to support any non-misleading title. The constitutional duties on government are undefined, the limits on the Genera…
I want to put a clean-environment amendment on the Arkansas ballot. Why did the Attorney General reject my proposed popular name and ballot title?
The AG rejected the proposed 'Clean and Healthy Natural Environment Amendment' for the second time. Two structural problems in the amendment text itself prevent the AG from certifying any ballot title…
Why did the Attorney General reject my proposed environmental amendment 'The Amendment to Keep Arkansas Natural'?
The AG rejected this first version of the proposed environmental amendment for four undefined terms in the amendment text: 'environment,' 'environmental life support system,' 'remedies,' and the duty …
Why did the Arkansas Attorney General reject the popular name and ballot title for the proposed 'Arkansas Ballot Measure Rights Amendment,' and what would the sponsors need to fix to get certification?
The AG rejected the ballot title for two reasons. One: Act 602 of 2025 requires ballot titles to be at an eighth-grade reading level on the Flesch-Kincaid scale, and the resubmitted title scored 9.3 (…
What does the Arkansas Attorney General have to consider when deciding whether to certify a ballot title for an initiated constitutional amendment, and why was the original 'Arkansas Ballot Measure Rights Amendment' ballot title rejected on its first submission?
The AG checks (1) whether the popular name accurately and impartially identifies the proposal, (2) whether the ballot title summarizes the amendment fairly, briefly, and without partisan tilt or techn…
What was the Arkansas Attorney General's substituted and certified ballot title for David Couch's 'An Amendment Concerning Constitutional Amendments, Initiated Acts, and Referendums,' and what does that ballot title actually say?
After three rejections (Opinions 2025-018, 2025-021, 2025-026), the AG accepted Couch's fourth submission, made minor changes to ensure the ballot title clearly explained the proposal's purpose while …
Why did the Arkansas Attorney General reject the third version of David Couch's proposed amendment ('An Amendment Concerning Constitutional Amendments, Initiated Acts and Referendum'), and what did the sponsor need to fix?
The two prior substantive issues were resolved, but the General Assembly had since passed Act 602 of 2025, which became effective April 14, 2025, and bars certification of any ballot title above eight…
Why did the Attorney General reject David Couch's revised initiative and referendum amendment for a second time in April 2025?
Couch's second submission fixed two issues from the first rejection (Opinion 2025-018) but introduced new ones. The revision narrowed the AG's certification standard from 'not misleading' to only 'acc…
Why was the proposed Arkansas constitutional amendment to overhaul the initiative and referendum process rejected by the Attorney General in March 2025?
AG Tim Griffin rejected the proposed popular name and ballot title for a constitutional amendment titled 'An Amendment to Amend the Initiative and Referendum Process.' The proposal had two material am…
Did the Arkansas AG approve the ballot title for 'The Arkansas Educational Rights Amendment of 2026,' which would require non-public schools that take state funds (or state tax credits) to meet the same academic and accreditation standards as public schools, and expand state education obligations?
Yes. The AG certified both the popular name and ballot title as submitted, since they were identical to a previous proposal he had already substituted and certified in Op. 2024-079. The AG cautioned t…
Did the Arkansas AG certify the ballot title for the 'Arkansas Educational Rights Amendment of 2026'?
Yes. After the AG had returned a previous text-less submission (Opinion 2024-076), AG Tim Griffin certified the popular name 'The Arkansas Educational Rights Amendment of 2026' as submitted and substi…
Can the Arkansas AG certify a popular name and ballot title for an initiative petition without the sponsor submitting the full text?
No. AG Tim Griffin returned the AR Kids submission for the 'Arkansas Educational Rights Amendment of 2026' because the sponsor did not include the full text of the amendment as A.C.A. § 7-9-107(a)-(b)…
What standards does the Arkansas AG apply when reviewing a proposed initiated constitutional amendment, and why was the 2024 recreational marijuana ballot title rejected?
The AG rejected the proposed 'Arkansas Recreational Marijuana Amendment of 2024.' Defects included impermissible incorporation by reference of statutes (violating the full-text requirement), ambiguity…
What changes did the Arkansas Attorney General make to the proposed ballot title for the 2024 amendment that would have repealed the Pope County casino license and required local voter approval for new casinos?
The AG substituted and certified a revised popular name and ballot title for an initiated constitutional amendment that would have repealed the Pope County casino license under Amendment 100 and requi…
What does the certified 'Arkansas Educational Rights Amendment of 2024' ballot title say about how voucher schools must meet the same standards as public schools?
After two prior rejections (Opinions 2023-131 and 2024-019), the AG substituted and certified a popular name 'The Arkansas Educational Rights Amendment of 2024' and a detailed ballot title. The amendm…
Did the Arkansas AG certify the third version of the proposed 2024 medical marijuana amendment that would have expanded Amendment 98 with health-care-practitioner certification, home cultivation, and contingent adult-use authority?
After two prior reviews (Opinions 2024-014 and 2024-028), the AG certified the third version of the proposed 'Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment of 2024' as submitted, with no further substitutions.…
How does the Arkansas Attorney General review the ballot title and popular name of an initiated constitutional amendment, and what changes did the AG make to the 'Arkansas Medical Cannabis Amendment of 2024' before certifying it?
The Arkansas AG substituted and certified a revised popular name and ballot title for an initiated constitutional amendment proposing to expand Arkansas's medical marijuana program. Key changes: repla…
Did the Arkansas AG certify a 2024 ballot title to lower the antique-tag eligibility age for vehicles from 45 years to 25 years?
After rejecting five prior versions, the AG substituted and certified a workable popular name ('The Arkansas Historic or Special Interest Vehicle Act of 2024') and ballot title for an initiated act th…
Did the Arkansas AG certify the popular name and ballot title for the Arkansas Government Openness Amendment in 2024?
Yes. The Attorney General substituted and certified a popular name and ballot title for the proposed amendment, replacing 'The Arkansas Government Openness Amendment' with 'The Arkansas Government Dis…
Did the Arkansas AG certify a popular name and ballot title for the citizen-initiated Arkansas Government Transparency Amendment in 2024?
Yes. The Attorney General substituted and certified a popular name and ballot title for the proposed amendment, replacing 'The Arkansas Government Transparency Amendment' with 'The Arkansas Government…
Did the Arkansas AG certify the ballot title for the Arkansas Government Disclosure Act of 2024?
Yes. The AG substituted and certified the popular name 'The Arkansas Government Disclosure Act of 2024' and a substantially rewritten ballot title. The certification followed the rejections in Opinion…
Did the AR AG certify the popular name and ballot title for the Arkansas Government Disclosure Amendment?
Yes. Notably, the AG certified the submitted popular name 'The Arkansas Government Disclosure Amendment' as submitted (after correcting the typo 'Disclsoure' to 'Disclosure') and substituted only the …
Did the AR AG certify the popular name and ballot title for the Open Meetings and Open Records in State and Local Government Amendment?
Yes. The AG substituted the same canonical ballot title used in Opinions 2024-005, 2024-007, and 2024-008, but kept the submitted popular name 'The Open Meetings and Open Records in State and Local Go…
Did the Arkansas AG certify the popular name and ballot title for the 2024 Arkansas Abortion Amendment?
Yes. The AG substituted and certified the popular name 'Arkansas Abortion Amendment of 2024' and rewrote the ballot title to include (1) a clarification that 18 weeks of fetal age equals approximately…
Did the Arkansas AG certify the proposed 2024 Absentee Voting Amendment?
Yes. The AG substituted the popular name (the original was so long it read like a second ballot title) to 'The Absentee Voting Amendment of 2024' and substituted the ballot title to add several materi…
Did Arkansas's AG certify Dinwiddie's fourth attempt at an initiated act lowering the antique vehicle registration age from 45 to 25 years?
Rejected. Dinwiddie's fourth attempt to lower the antique-vehicle threshold from 45 to 25 years had two new defects: the popular name and ballot title used 'automobile' (a broader term) while the amen…
Did the Arkansas AG certify the Couch/Standerfer 'Arkansas Government Transparency Amendment' for the 2024 ballot?
Rejected. The AG declined to certify the first version of the Couch/Standerfer 'Arkansas Government Transparency Amendment' because key terms ('government transparency,' 'public record,' 'public meeti…
Did the Arkansas AG certify Dinwiddie's third attempt at a ballot title for an initiated act lowering the antique-vehicle registration age from 45 to 25 years?
Rejected. Dinwiddie's third version of his initiated act to allow 25-year-old vehicles (down from 45) to register as antique still had unresolved drafting defects: a misused enacting clause followed b…
Did the Arkansas AG certify the Lancaster proposed constitutional amendment that would have rewritten absentee-voting rules and banned wireless voting?
Rejected. The AG declined to certify Clinton Lancaster's proposed Absentee Voting and Anti-Wireless-Voting Amendment because of multiple ambiguities in the amendment text. The biggest problems: an ena…
Did the Arkansas AG certify Lancaster's proposed Hand-Marked Paper Ballots constitutional amendment?
Rejected. The AG declined to certify Clinton Lancaster's Hand-Marked Paper Ballots Amendment because of multiple contradictions and ambiguities: an enacting clause used inappropriately for an amendmen…
Did the Arkansas AG certify the 'Reproductive Healthcare Amendment' for the 2024 ballot?
Rejected. The AG declined to certify Steven Nichols's proposed Arkansas Reproductive Healthcare Amendment because of multiple ambiguities: unclear 'access to abortion' language, undefined 'health,' an…
Can the AG certify a ballot title when the proposed initiated act is written as a narrative explanation rather than as legislation?
Rejected. The revised text included an enacting clause but used it before a narrative description and partial statute quotations, leaving the AG unable to determine what was actually being enacted. Sp…
What does the Arkansas AG look for when reviewing a popular name and ballot title for a citizen-initiated act?
Rejected. The submitted ballot title was identical to the popular name and made no attempt to summarize the measure's text. The proposed measure also lacked the constitutionally required enacting clau…
Did the Arkansas AG approve the ballot title for an initiated act exempting feminine hygiene products and diapers from sales tax?
Approved with substitution. The popular name 'An Act to Exempt Feminine Hygiene Products and Diapers from Sales and Use Tax' was certified as submitted. The AG substituted a more suitable ballot title…
Why did the Arkansas AG reject a proposed ballot title for an initiated act exempting feminine hygiene products from sales tax?
Rejected. The text of the proposed initiated act was ambiguous about whether Arkansas would remain in compliance with the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement, a multi-state compact requiring unifo…
Did the Arkansas AG approve the LEARNS Act referendum ballot title for circulation, and what's the catch?
The AG certified the LEARNS Act referendum's popular name and ballot title (third version, 8,154 words spanning 16 pages) because, by essentially copying every section of Act 237, it cannot be called …
What does it take to get a popular name and ballot title certified for an Arkansas statewide referendum, and why was the LEARNS Act referendum draft rejected?
Rejected. The popular name and ballot title for the LEARNS Act referendum failed because the draft did not tell voters that a 'for' vote approves the act and an 'against' vote rejects it. That structu…
How does the Arkansas Attorney General decide whether to certify the popular name and ballot title of a proposed citizens redistricting amendment?
The AG certified the popular name and ballot title for a proposed Arkansas constitutional amendment that would create a seven-member citizens redistricting commission appointed by legislative leaders,…
Why did Arkansas reject the popular name and ballot title for the 2019 cannabis industry constitutional amendment?
The AG rejected the entire submission. The proposed amendment was so long and complex that voters could not have made an intelligent choice in the limited time of the voting booth, which made any ball…
Why did Arkansas reject the popular name and ballot title for the 2018 ranked voting constitutional amendment?
The AG rejected the entire submission. The ballot title was internally inconsistent (claiming both to 'avoid' and 'eliminate' runoffs), tinged with partisan coloring, and the proposed measure itself w…
Why did Arkansas reject the 2020 recreational marijuana ballot title?
The AG rejected the entire submission. The measure was virtually identical to one already rejected in Op. 2018-119, and the same threshold defects in the proposal itself made it impossible to draft a …
What was the Arkansas Citizens' Redistricting Commission constitutional amendment proposed in 2018?
The AG certified the popular name and ballot title as submitted. The amendment would have replaced the existing Board of Apportionment (Governor, Secretary of State, AG) with a 7-member Citizens' Redi…
Why did Arkansas reject the 2018 'Marijuana As Alcohol' constitutional amendment ballot title?
The AG rejected the entire submission. The amendment proposed regulating marijuana 'as an alcoholic beverage,' but federally licensed alcohol producers cannot also distribute marijuana under federal l…
Why did Arkansas reject the 2018 marijuana initiated act that would have removed marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act?
The AG rejected the entire submission. The proposed amendments to current law were essentially hidden in the measure's drafting (requiring side-by-side comparison with existing statutes), and the ball…
Why did Arkansas reject the 2018 'Arkansas Rank Voting Initiative' as a proposed initiated act?
The AG rejected the entire submission. The same fundamental ambiguities as the prior submission (Op. 2018-112) remained: the proposed initiated act would dramatically change election law without clear…
Why did the Arkansas Attorney General reject the 2018 Arkansas Regulation of Marijuana Amendment ballot title?
The AG rejected the entire submission. The proposal was substantially the same recreational-marijuana amendment the AG had already rejected in Opinion 2018-100 for being a convoluted statewide decrimi…
Why did the Arkansas Attorney General reject a 2018 marijuana initiated act submission that used a blacklined statute draft?
The AG rejected the submission at the threshold. Section 7-9-107 requires the sponsor to submit an 'original draft' of the proposed measure, but the submission was a blacklined working document showin…
Why did the Arkansas Attorney General reject the Natural Resource Cannabis Amendment ballot title in 2018?
The AG rejected the entire submission. The proposal was substantially the same measure the AG had already rejected in November 2017, with added language on banking and depository institutions that mad…
Why did the Arkansas Attorney General reject the 2018 ranked-choice voting initiative's ballot title?
The AG rejected the entire submission. The proposal failed to specify whether it was an initiated act or a constitutional amendment, the popular name and ballot title were misleading, and the underlyi…
Why did the Arkansas Attorney General reject the 2018 'Arkansas Cannabis Hemp and Recreational Marijuana Amendment' ballot title?
The AG rejected the entire submission at the threshold. The proposal was the same measure the AG had already rejected in Opinion 2017-006 as ambiguous and misleading. Recycling language previously ide…
Why did the Arkansas Attorney General reject the 2018 'Arkansas Marijuana Amendment 2020' ballot title that proposed adult-use legalization with a regulatory licensing scheme?
The AG rejected the entire submission. The ballot title was generic and uninformative, leaning on words like 'regulation' and 'licensing' without describing the actual legal effects. The underlying pr…
Why did the Arkansas Attorney General reject the 2018 'Right to Grow Cannabis Amendment' ballot title?
The AG rejected the entire submission. The popular name 'Right to Grow' was misleading because the amendment also covered possession. The ballot title was inadequate. And the text's reach (which purpo…
Why did the Arkansas Attorney General reject the 2018 Arkansas Marijuana Legalization Amendment ballot title that would have earmarked tax revenue for K-12 schools?
The AG rejected the entire submission. The popular name added 'for School Funding' to lend partisan coloring; the ballot title was wholly inadequate to summarize the proposal's substantive changes; an…
Why was the proposed Arkansas Recreational Marijuana Amendment of 2020 ballot title rejected by the Attorney General?
The Attorney General rejected the popular name, ballot title, and entire submission. The proposal recycled multiple earlier rejected recreational-marijuana submissions, and its convoluted decriminaliz…
Why was the Arkansas Cannabis Amendment ballot title rejected for failing to clearly explain its effect on the existing medical marijuana amendment?
The Attorney General rejected the popular name, ballot title, and proposed Arkansas Cannabis Amendment. The ballot title left voters unable to understand how the proposal would interact with the exist…
Did the Arkansas AG approve the ballot title for a 2018 initiated constitutional amendment that would replace the Board of Apportionment with a Citizens' Redistricting Commission?
Certified. The AG approved the popular name and ballot title for 'The Arkansas Citizens' Redistricting Amendment' as submitted, but added a cautionary note that the proposal's length and complexity co…
Browse Arkansas opinions by topic
Attorney general opinions in Arkansas are written by the Arkansas Attorney General's office in response to questions from state agencies, legislators, and prosecutors. They are not binding like court decisions, but courts and agencies treat them as persuasive guidance on how state law applies. Every opinion above has a plain-English question and short answer, plus a link to the full original text.