In part 2 of our conversation with retired Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Annabelle Tuck, April and Glen explore her faith journey as she converted to Judaism, its coherence with her legal philosophy, and the Torah’s serving as a foundation for much of Western law. We also hear about her moral and legal views that led to her decisions in some legal rulings in Arkansas that continue to influence the legal landscape. Specifically, Annabelle provides a fascinating first-hand account of the thinking and judicial issues associated with the Lakeview school District case that changed the way Arkansas funded public education. She also helps us understand the underpinnings of the case involving the LGBTQ community that overturned laws against sodomy. Annabelle also shares her observations about the current judicial and legal environment that has recently changed in so many important ways that it now seems to her “another world.“

April and Glen are joined by Annabelle Clinton Imber Tuck, a trailblazer in Arkansas law and the first woman ever elected to the Arkansas Supreme Court. In this first part of our conversation with Annabelle, we hear about her early life, starting in Arkansas, and including living in South America and later in Washington, DC, then winding up back in her beloved home state of Arkansas. She describes her early life influences, her interests in the legal profession, and the intense sense of justice and fairness that has influenced her work through the years. She also explains her political leanings, which some may find surprising. She highlights her longstanding desire for everyone in court to be heard and for justice to be done, with emphasis on the value of due process.

This episode of On The Other Hand is a “best of” recording of an interview in July 2024, when Glen and April spoke with Asa Hutchinson, an attorney and the previous 2-term Republican governor of Arkansas. Asa’s long history of public service includes serving as a US Congressman, one of the House managers for Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial in the Senate, head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, and chair of the National Governors Association. Asa had just recently concluded an unsuccessful campaign for the Republican presidential nominee for the 2024 election at the time of this interview. In the interview, Asa described his then current activities, what he viewed as highlights of his career, and the approach he took as governor. He explained how he handled the COVID pandemic during his term as governor, which included consulting with a variety of experts and weighing various views to help him find a way to manage Arkansas's approach to COVID that adhered to his conservative philosophy. While he outlined his strong conservative credentials, Asa also expressed concerns about several developments nationally. In particular, we heard his criticisms of how he saw the Republican party as having moved away from traditional conservative values, and his conviction that civility and compromise remain critical for the success of our government.