A Judicial Retrospective: Significant Decisions by the Arkansas Supreme Court from 1991 Through 2011

In 2008, a study issued by the University of Chicago ranked the Arkansas Supreme Court as the second best state supreme court in the nation, based on the justices\u27 productivity in issuing opinions, quality of opinions, and independence from partisan pressures. The last two decades have seen the Arkansas Supreme Court issue a multitude of opinions considering separation of powers, public education, prior restraint of the press, expanded rights under the Arkansas Constitution, class actions and tort reform. This article highlights many of the most significant opinions from the last two decades and comments on their impact in Arkansas and beyond. Through the sampling of significant and landmark decisions handed down by the Arkansas Supreme Court, the article provides an excellent primer on unique aspects of Arkansas law, as well as an invaluable insight to the analytical process of Arkansas\u27s highest court. In doing so, attention is drawn to the quality of the Arkansas Supreme Court\u27s work in an array of areas and the resulting impact the Court has had on jurisprudence in Arkansas and throughout the nation