LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — On Monday, Pulaski County Judge Timothy Davis Fox ruled to dismiss Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin's lawsuit against the Board of Corrections.
Typically, the attorney general's office represents state boards but in this case, the board hired their own lawyer to sue the state.
The judge decided that it was legal but gave the attorney general's office the option to try again.
This follows a ruling that was made earlier this month in a separate case where the board used their outside council. The judge in that case sided with the board— giving them the final say over state prisons rather than the governor. Though appeals are on the way.
After the decision was made, Attorney General Tim Griffin released the following statement," We are preparing an immediate appeal to the Arkansas Supreme Court."
An attorney with the Board of Corrections explained that they're happy with the ruling.
“The Board is pleased that Judge Fox dismissed the FOIA lawsuit, and we take this opportunity to invite the Attorney General to meet with the Board to work through these differences, none of which have any relationship with the FOIA," added Abtin Mehdizadegan, attorney for Board of Corrections.