Beebe names Hoofman, Kinard to appeals court

On Wednesday, term-limited Democrat Gov. Mike Beebe (center) appointed state Supreme Court Justice Cliff Hoofman (left) of Enola to the Arkansas Court of Appeals to finish the term for Judge Rhonda Wood.
On Wednesday, term-limited Democrat Gov. Mike Beebe (center) appointed state Supreme Court Justice Cliff Hoofman (left) of Enola to the Arkansas Court of Appeals to finish the term for Judge Rhonda Wood.

The exiting and incoming governors announced a series of appointments as both men approach the beginning of a new gubernatorial administration.

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Hutchinson said he will keep Lawrence Bengal (shown) as the head of the Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission, a position he has held since 2004.

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NWA Media/Ben Goff

Hutchinson will keep John Felts (shown) as the head of the Arkansas Board of Parole, a position he's had since 2011.

On Wednesday, term-limited Democrat Gov. Mike Beebe appointed state Supreme Court Justice Cliff Hoofman of Enola to the Arkansas Court of Appeals to finish the term for Judge Rhonda Wood.

Hoofman's appointment expires Dec. 31, 2016.

Wood, of Conway, was elected to the state's highest court last year and will replace Hoofman, who had been appointed by Beebe in 2012 to fill in for retired Justice Bob Brown.

Beebe also appointed Magnolia attorney Mike Kinard to a two-year term on the state Court of Appeals. Kinard will succeed Judge Robin Wynne of Fordyce, who was elected to the Supreme Court. Kinard's term will expire Dec. 31, 2016.

Beebe had previously appointed Hoofman, a longtime friend and former state Senate colleague, to the Arkansas Court of Appeals in 2011 to replace Judge Karen Baker, who is currently sitting on the Arkansas Supreme Court.

Prior to that, Beebe nominated Hoofman as a commissioner to the state's Arkansas Highway Commission.

Hoofman recused himself from the high court's hearing of the challenge to the state's gay marriage laws. Though Wood will replace him, the special appointed judge in the case, Robert McCorkindale, is expected to weigh in on the case.

That case, orally argued before the state court on Nov. 20, is awaiting a ruling.

Beebe spokesman Matt DeCample said Hoofman's track record and performance in past positions were what made the governor comfortable with the pick.

"The governor got good feedback during that interim term [in the Supreme Court] and felt he'd do a good job again," DeCample said. "He wouldn't have considered him for any appointment if he wasn't [effective]."

Wednesday, Beebe also appointed one of his staff members to sit in on a case for Supreme Court Justice Courtney Hudson Goodson.

Tim Gauger, Beebe's legal counsel for the past eight years, will sit in on a former attorney's request to be readmitted to the Arkansas Bar.

Goodson recused herself from the case in November, one where former Harrison attorney Jerry Hudson Shepard Jr. seeks to practice law again after losing his license for his admitted role in the bribery of a witness in a capital murder case.

Though he was granted immunity for his cooperation with investigators, and never convicted of a crime, Hudson lost his law license in 2006 and lost his Missouri law license in 2007.

DeCample said Gauger is more than qualified and capable of handling the case.

While Beebe is making his final appointments, his successor is busy selecting members of the new administration.

Hutchinson, who will be sworn into office on Jan. 13, announced Wednesday that Amy Fecher will be the new director of rural services, replacing John Andrews.

Fecher was a deputy in the department under Gov. Mike Huckabee and has worked in multiple nonprofits since.

The new governor will also retain two department heads.

Hutchinson said he will keep Lawrence Bengal as the head of the Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission, a position he has held since 2004.

He will also keep John Felts as the head of the Arkansas Board of Parole, a position he's had since 2011. Felts was appointed to the board in 1998 by Huckabee and re-appointed as the head of the group in 2012 by Beebe.

"Keeping our communities safe, while giving those, who deserve it, a second chance is a vital part of growing a robust economy," Hutchinson said in a statement. "I am proud to announce that he will continue that role in my administration."

A section on 01/01/2015

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