LITTLE ROCK – Attorney General Tim Griffin issued a statement today following the NAACP and ACLU's decision not to seek U.S. Supreme Court review of Arkansas’s recent legal victory in the case of Arkansas State Conference NAACP v. Arkansas Board of Apportionment.
"Last year, the Eighth Circuit threw out a challenge to Arkansas’s legislative map and became the first federal court of appeals to make clear that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act is not privately enforceable," Griffin said. "The NAACP and ACLU’s decision not to ask the Supreme Court to review the Eighth Circuit’s ruling is a win for Arkansans as it ends that challenge, leaves Arkansas’s legislative map in place, and puts an end to similar meritless challenges in other states."
Griffin criticized special interest groups for using Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act to influence redistricting decisions, stating that such practices should be ended by elected officials rather than these groups. He noted that the Biden administration declined to challenge Arkansas's legislative map when asked.
"It is important to remember that Arkansas’s redistricting process is handled primarily by three statewide constitutional officers who are answerable to Arkansas voters," Griffin added. He also expressed gratitude towards Solicitor General Nicholas Bronni and Senior Assistant Solicitor General Asher Steinberg for their work on this case.
Tim Griffin was sworn in as the 57th Attorney General of Arkansas on January 10, 2023. He previously served as Lieutenant Governor from 2015-2023 and represented Arkansas's Second Congressional District from 2011-2015. Griffin has been an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps for over 28 years and currently holds the rank of colonel.
Griffin has served in various capacities including Commander of multiple Legal Operations Detachments, Senior Legislative Advisor at the Pentagon, U.S. Attorney for Eastern District of Arkansas, Special Assistant to President George W. Bush, among others. He holds degrees from Hendrix College, Tulane Law School, and a master’s degree from the U.S. Army War College.
Griffin resides in Little Rock with his wife Elizabeth and their three children.
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