The Honorable Mike Huckabee, Governor,
Members of the General Assembly,
Fellow Judges and Justices, and
Fellow Arkansans:

It is my pleasure to have the opportunity of presenting this report of the state of the Arkansas judicial system and its work during the 1995-96 fiscal year.

This report marks the close of my service as Chief Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court. It has been a tremendous honor and a distinct joy to serve the state in this capacity. While I have been actively engaged in the practice of law for almost 40 years and have served as a special judge at both the trial and appellate level, my service as Chief Justice has brought to me a new and profound respect for the work which is carried out by the members of our state's judiciary. They bring to their work a dedication to the rule of law and to the provision of fairness and justice, a commitment to the highest levels of ethical conduct, and a willingness to make our courts accessible to the public and responsive to the public's need.

Our citizens continue to bring their disputes to be resolved in our courts in record numbers. During the year, more than one million new cases were filed. With limited resources, our judges and members of the court's staff used a combination of innovation and hard work in an attempt to keep pace with the increased caseload.

As the cief administrator of our court system, I have also had the pleasure of working with those in our executive and legislative branches. I found them to be sensitive to the unique and restrictive role which is placed upon judges by the law and the Code of Judicial Conduct but always willing to work with members of the judiciary to provide our citizens with the finest court system possible.

The theme chosen for this annual report is "Expanding Our Horizons - Ascending New Heights." While my service has shown me that our court system is sound and in good order, we must always be willing to make improvements and respond to the rapid pace of social and technological change. It is my hope that this report will document the work which has been done and provide a foundation and an impetus for improvement by our court leaders in the future.

Bradley D. Jesson
Chief Justice