J. Houston M. Downes has authored an article appearing in the Summer 2025 edition of The Arkansas Lawyer, a publication of the Arkansas Bar Association.
In “Act 975 Original Jurisdiction in the Court of Appeals,” Houston examines Act 975 of 2025, a new law that assigns the Arkansas Court of Appeals exclusive original jurisdiction over all facial constitutional challenges – whether under the U.S. Constitution or the Arkansas Constitution – to acts passed by the General Assembly, provisions of the Arkansas Code, and administrative rules and regulations. Houston explores how this legislation, which is set to take effect on November 1, 2025, could significantly reshape constitutional litigation in Arkansas – assuming it withstands legal scrutiny. The article focuses on three key questions: What motivated this jurisdictional shift? Is Act 975 itself constitutional? And if the law takes effect as planned, how will it impact cases that involve both facial and as-applied constitutional challenges? You can find the entire article here.
An associate at Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull PLLC, J. Houston M. Downes concentrates his practice on business and complex commercial litigation.