LITTLE ROCK— Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Monday she had appointed Cody Hiland to serve on the Arkansas Supreme Court. Hiland is filling an open seat on the Arkansas Supreme Court following the passing of Justice Robin F. Wynne in late June.
Justice Rhonda Wood swore in Hiland in a private ceremony following the governor’s announcement. Hiland will hold this seat until 2025, according to a press release from the governor’s office.
“I am pleased to announce I have selected a former prosecutor and U.S. Attorney, Cody Hiland, for this role. Cody brings a lifetime of legal experience to the job and has made service to Arkansas the centerpiece of his career,” said Sanders in the press release.
“This is the first time Arkansas’ Supreme Court will have a conservative majority. Cody will be there to call balls and strikes, interpreting state law as it was written and leaving the legislating to the legislature.”
Hiland served as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas from Oct. 10, 2017, until Dec. 31, 2020. He was appointed by President Donald Trump and was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
Prior to his appointment as U.S. Attorney, Justice Hiland was twice elected Prosecuting Attorney for the 20th Judicial District, serving Faulkner, Van Buren, and Searcy counties.
Following the end of the Trump Administration, Hiland became Chief Legal Counsel for the Arkansas Department of Public Safety before joining the Sarah for Governor Campaign. In that role, he headed up the “Law Enforcement for Sarah” coalition and helped the Governor craft her Safer, Stronger Arkansas legislative package, which was signed into law earlier this year. Following the end of the campaign, Hiland became chairman of the Republican Party of Arkansas.
Before serving as prosecuting attorney, Hiland worked as an aide for Governor Mike Huckabee, a state attorney, and in private practice. He is a native of Bee Branch, and received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Arkansas and his Juris Doctorate from the William H. Bowen School of Law in Little Rock.
Hiland lives in Little Rock with his wife, Jana, and four children, Claire, Caitlyn. John Reagan, and Ethan.
“Justice Wynne’s passing was a loss for his family, the courts, and a loss for the state that elected him to positions of public trust on multiple occasions. And while we acknowledge the loss, we at the same time acknowledge that we have to engage in the sobering and serious responsibility of fulfilling the legal obligations necessary to move forward with the Court’s business,” said Hiland.
“I want to thank Governor Sanders for the faith she has placed in me to serve as an associate justice for the Supreme Court. I have been given a tremendous privilege to serve the people of this state, and I am both humbled by that opportunity and sobered by the opportunity in front of me.”
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