LITTLE ROCK – Attorney General Tim Griffin issued a statement today after a Pulaski County Circuit Court judge granted Griffin’s motion for summary judgment to revoke the town of Allport’s charter: "Today’s decision by the Pulaski County Circuit Court is the legally proper, but unfortunate, outcome after the town of Allport repeatedly failed to substantially comply with state law. Under state law, I am required to seek revocation of a town’s charter when the Arkansas Legislative Joint Auditing Committee notifies me of those repeated failures."
The Legislative Joint Auditing Committee twice, within three years, notified Allport of its failure to comply with the state’s laws regarding how municipalities account for spending tax dollars. On September 24, 2020, the Committee notified the former Attorney General of these facts. Upon notification, "[t]he Attorney General shall file pleadings . . . to revoke the charter of the municipal corporation."
Griffin’s predecessor failed to seek revocation of Allport’s charter but instead sought an alternative remedy that was not allowed by statute. In February 2023, one month after taking office as Attorney General, Griffin filed a new lawsuit to revoke Allport’s charter, ultimately leading to the decision by the Pulaski County Circuit Court today.
To read today’s order, click here. For a printer-friendly version of this release, click here.
About Attorney General Tim Griffin
Tim Griffin was sworn in as the 57th Attorney General of Arkansas on January 10, 2023, having previously served as the state’s 20th Lieutenant Governor from 2015-2023. From 2011-2015, Griffin served as the 24th representative of Arkansas’s Second Congressional District, where he served on several House committees including Ways and Means; Armed Services; Foreign Affairs; Ethics; and Judiciary while also serving as a Deputy Whip for the Majority.
Griffin has served as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Corps for more than 28 years and currently holds the rank of colonel. In 2005, Griffin was mobilized to active duty as an Army prosecutor at Fort Campbell, Kentucky and served with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in Mosul, Iraq.
He is currently serving as Commander of the 2d Legal Operations Detachment in New Orleans, Louisiana. His previous assignments include serving as Commander of the 134th Legal Operations Detachment at Fort Liberty (née Bragg), North Carolina and as Senior Legislative Advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness at The Pentagon. Griffin earned a master’s degree in strategic studies as a Distinguished Honor Graduate from the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle Barracks in Pennsylvania.
Griffin also served as U.S. Attorney for Eastern District of Arkansas; Special Assistant to President George W. Bush and Deputy Director of Political Affairs; Special Assistant to Assistant Attorney General Michael Chertoff at Criminal Division in U.S. Department of Justice; Special Assistant U.S. Attorney at Eastern District of Arkansas; Senior Investigative Counsel at Government Reform and Oversight Committee in U.S House Representatives; and Associate Independent Counsel under David M Barrett during HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros investigation.
Griffin is a graduate from Magnolia High School; Hendrix College in Conway; Tulane Law School in New Orleans and attended graduate school at Oxford University. He is admitted to practice law in Arkansas (active) and Louisiana (inactive). He lives in Little Rock with his wife Elizabeth who is from Camden along with their three children.
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