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Arkansas courts are financed through state, county and city
appropriations. The degree of funding from each source depends upon
the level of jurisdiction of the court being funded. State
government is the sole funding source for the Supreme Court, Court of
Appeals, appellate court support staff, and the Administrative Office
of the Courts. In addition, the state funds the salaries and costs
of travel and educational assistance for circuit and chancery judges,
and the salaries for court reporters and case coordinators. The
state also pays for one-half of the salaries of juvenile intake and
probation officers who serve the judges of the juvenile division of
chancery court.
In 1995, the General Assembly enacted legislation which laid the
groundwork for the state to begin the assumption of the
responsibility for funding all court-related personnel at the trial
court level. In that year, funding was provided for salaries for
trial court administrative assistants for each trial judge. In
1998, the costs of the public defender system were assumed by the
state. Legislation in 1999 provided for the state to begin to pay
the salaries and expenses of deputy prosecuting attorneys in January,
2000. Even with these additional costs, the funds appropriated to
the courts and for court-related activities represent only one-fourth
of one percent of the total state government operating
appropriation, which totaled over $12 billion in 1998-99. This
amount includes all state and federal funds appropriated by the
state.
County government is the funding source for the salaries of all
circuit, chancery and probate court support and clerical staff and
for all supplies, equipment, utilities and facilities within each
judicial circuit. Each county within the circuit provides funding
according to its pro rata share of the district-wide court expenses
and is solely responsible for the costs of facilities and utilities
within the county. County government pays all expenses of the county
court, court of common pleas, and justice of the peace courts. The
county government also shares with city government the cost of the
municipal court. The county share is usually 50%, but there are
numerous exceptions to this pattern in a variety of locally
negotiated arrangements.
City government is responsible for the remainder of municipal
court expenses not provided by county government and provides the
sole support for city and police courts.
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Timeline |
| 1874: |
Creation
of J.P. Courts and Corporation Courts. |
| 1875: |
Act
61, creation of Courts of Common Pleas. |
| 1883: |
City
Courts created. |
| 1987: |
Amendment
64 to Arkansas Constitution increased civil
jurisdiction in Municipal Courts from $300 to
$3,000. Act 725 of 1977 created Small Claims
Courts. |
| 1995: |
Act
1256, Uniform Filing Fee and Court Cost Act. Created
uniform fee to be accessed in all cases. |
| 1997: |
Act
746, Civil Jurisdiction in Municipal Courts raised to
$5,000. |
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