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 1996-97 fiscal year.

This publication marks my first opportunity to present the work of the Arkansas judiciary since my election as Chief Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court. As one who has enjoyed a long and varied background in our judicial system, serving as a practicing attorney, administrator, municipal judge, prosecuting attorney, and trial judge, I felt that I brought to my tenure a complete understanding of our system. From this new perspective, however, I have been tremendously impressed with both the quality and quantity of work which is being accomplished by judges and court employees in every county in our state. It has brought to me a new and profound respect for our state judiciary and those involved in our judicial system.

Our citizens continue to bring their disputes to our state courts for resolution in record numbers. During the year, more than one million cases were filed in our local, trial and appellate courts. In response to growing caseloads, we have enacted changes in court procedures, revised our administrative structures, and worked to integrate new technologies into our system. Our work with and support of alternative dispute resolution techniques has led us to study ways, both within and without the formal judicial structure, which will aid our citizens in resolving their disputes in a fair and expeditious manner.

The theme for this annual report is "The Foundation of an Effective Judiciary." It emphasizes the work of those persons who are often overlooked in our study and review of the judicial system. They are, in most instances, however, the key to our system's success. They work on the front line to interact with citizens, litigants, witnesses, jurors, victims, attorneys, convicted persons, and others on a daily basis. It is my hope that this report will acknowledge and celebrate the services which they provide and inspire each of us in our efforts to provide our state citizens with the finest judicial system possible.

W.H. "Dub" Arnold Chief Justice