Hearing postponed in lawsuit filed by corrections board against Sanders

(The Center Square) – A judge delayed a hearing today involving a lawsuit by the Arkansas Department of Corrections against Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

The spouse of the attorney for the corrections board went into labor today, according to court records.

The lawsuit filed by the board earlier this month seeks to stop a law signed by Sanders that gives the governor the authority over the department’s secretary. The battle began after Sanders and Department of Corrections Secretary Joe Profiri said the board should approve nearly 500 additional prison beds to move prisoners out of county jails.

The corrections board said in its lawsuit that Profiri did not vet the request properly.

“Secretary Profiri failed to provide the board with information requested regarding the safety of his plan and he failed to consult with the Compliance Division as to operational adequacy,” the board said in the lawsuit. The board suspended Profiri with pay.

Pulaski Circuit Court Judge Patricia Ann James agreed to block the law temporarily until a hearing, which is now scheduled for Jan. 4.

The corrections board is facing a lawsuit from Attorney General Tim Griffin, who accused the board of violating the state’s Freedom of Information Act laws when it went behind closed doors to discuss hiring outside counsel. The attorney general’s office serves as counsel for the board in another case.

A Pulaski County Circuit Court judge ordered Griffin to reach an agreement with the board. In the latest filing, Griffin said the board violated state law by hiring outside counsel without consulting with the attorney general or the governor.

Griffin also accuses the corrections board of failing to respond to a FOIA request appropriately.