Hutchinson Names Law Professor as New Chief Justice

Gov. Asa Hutchinson and new Chief Justice Howard Brill.

Long-time University of Arkansas law professor Howard Brill will serve out the term of retiring Arkansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Jim Hannah, Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced Tuesday.

Hannah is retiring at the end of August because of health concerns. Brill, who’s been at the UA since 1975, will serve out his term that expires at the end of 2016. Brill focuses on legal ethics and professional responsibility at the UA and teaches a course on Arkansas Constitutional Law.

Hutchinson said Brill will exercise judicial restraint and follow the Constitution and the rule of law. “He reflects what I want in a judge,” he said.

Brill, who said he taught two sitting Arkansas Supreme Court justices, described his judicial philosophy as simple: “Follow the law, uphold the law, apply the law.” He plans to head back to the classroom after his appointment is complete.

In a statement, Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge called Brill “an excellent appointment.”

“I am confident that Professor Brill will uphold the rule of law and offer a fair and reasoned judgment to any of the important questions brought before him and the other justices, Rutledge said. “Serving as the state’s chief justice is an enormous task, but Professor Brill is certainly up to the challenge.”

Brill graduated from Duke University in 1965 and earned his J.D. from the University of Florida, where he was editor of the Law Review, and his LL.M. from the University of Illinois. He has taught at the Universities of Florida, Illinois, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, in addition to practicing with a private firm. 

From 1995 to 2010, Brill served as the UA’s Faculty Athletics Representative to the NCAA and Southeastern Conference, and he served as interim dean of the UA School of Law during the 2005-06 academic year.