Executive Director's Report |
The Decline of the
Lawyer Legislator E-mail: dhollingsworth@arkbar.com |
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Frequently I hear friends and acquaintances remark that lawyers dominate the ranks of the
Arkansas Legislature. When asked the percentage of lawyers serving in our state
legislature, their responses range from 30% to over 50%. The reality is much different. There are nineteen lawyers serving in the 2001 General Assembly (nine Senators and ten Representatives). Thus, lawyers comprise only 14% of the135 Senators and Representatives. In the House, only 10% of the Representatives are lawyers. Twelve lawyer legislators did not return to the Arkansas Legislature in 2001. Since there were only four lawyers newly elected to the Legislature this year, there is a net loss of eight lawyer legislators. (The four new legislators are Senator Alvin Simes and Representatives Marvin Childers, Sam Ledbetter and John VerKamp.) Currently the House Judiciary Committee has only five lawyer members out of 20. The Senate Judiciary Committee is composed of seven Senators, five of whom are lawyers. If current trends continue, term limits will further reduce the number of lawyers in the two Judiciary Committees. Arkansas is not alone in the decline of attorneys serving in state legislatures. In 1995 attorneys comprised 15% of the members in state legislatures nationwide. The percentage in 1976 was 22%. (The National Conference of State Legislatures will have the 2000 figures later this year.) The size of the decrease in lawyer legislators in Arkansas from 1999 to 2001 was impacted by our new term limits. Predictions are that term limits will cause another significant reduction in the number of lawyer legislators in 2003 and 2005. (Among the nineteen states with term limits for legislators, Arkansas has the most draconian version. The lifetime limit for service in the House is three terms for a total of six years. In the Senate, the lifetime limit is two terms for a total of eight years.) The decline in the number of lawyers in the Arkansas Legislature will not be reversed overnight. At a minimum, each of us should provide support for lawyers who consider a race for the Arkansas Legislature, including financial and volunteer assistance during the campaign. Even better, I hope you will encourage lawyers with good lawmaking talents to run for the legislature. |
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