Court Battle to Expand Arkansas LGBT Civil Rights Resumes

Arkansas LGBT civil rights took center stage during a pretrial hearing in Washington County Circuit Court Thursday where Judge Doug Martin will consider the constitutionality of Act 137 of 2015. The state law bars Arkansas cities and counties from enacting LGBT-inclusive anti-discrimination ordinances. In two rulings Martin set the tone for future proceedings, refusing to stay Fayetteville's non-discrimination ordinance and rejecting another motion by the state to quash depositions of several legislators accused of bias in the sponsoring of Act 137.