Jefferson County Judge Gerald Robinson has filed a formal claim with the Jefferson County Circuit Court, seeking $53,052.45 in unpaid salary for the first half of 2025, asserting that a state law preventing his payment is unconstitutional.
Filed on Sept. 10, the legal challenge stems from a contentious budget impasse between Robinson and a majority of the Quorum Court, which had also affected nearly 400 other county employees earlier this year.
Robinson’s claim says that Act 24 of 2025, a state law that withholds the county judge’s salary in the absence of an annual appropriation ordinance, violates Section 5 of Amendment 55 to the Arkansas Constitution. This amendment specifically prohibits the reduction of a county officer’s compensation during their current term.
According to Robinson’s filing, he was not paid for 11 pay periods between Jan. 15 and June 15. His annual salary was set at $115,750.67 by the Quorum Court, resulting in a gross pay of $4,822.95 per period, as established by Ordinance 2023-64.
“My current term as County Judge began on January 1, 2023, and will end on December 31, 2026,” states Robinson’s claim. “Ark. Code Ann. § 14-14-1204(c)(3) decreased my compensation to zero from January through June of 2025, during the current term. This is in direct conflict with Amendment 55 and is, therefore, unconstitutional.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The nonpayment of salaries in Jefferson County became a critical issue earlier this year due to the ongoing budget dispute. While county employees are typically paid on the 15th and at the end of each month, the absence of an approved 2025 budget brought operations to a standstill.
In response to the crisis, legislators from Jefferson County spearheaded efforts to pass a new bill to address the immediate financial strain on county employees. House Bill 1331 was initially authored by first-term Rep. Glenn Barnes, D-Pine Bluff, with Rep. Ken Ferguson, D-Pine Bluff, and Rep. Mike Holcomb, R-Pine Bluff, co-sponsoring. Although HB1331 was filed and advanced to committee on Jan. 30, it ended up dead in committee.
Seeking a quicker resolution, Sen. Ben Gilmore, R-Crossett, drafted Senate Bill 182, with Rep. Barnes as a primary sponsor. This bill was fast-tracked and signed into law by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders. SB182 includes an emergency clause and stipulates that local governments will operate under the annual appropriation ordinance from the previous year until a new budget is adopted.
The state House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted 92-0 to advance SB182, which allowed hundreds of Jefferson County employees to receive their paychecks and enabled the county to address outstanding bills and expenses.
However, a key provision of SB182 specifically withheld the salaries of the county judge and the per diem of justices of the peace until the 2025 budget is officially passed. This means Robinson was losing approximately $317 per day based on his annual salary. Similarly, justices of the peace remain unpaid, forfeiting their $1,014.17 per diem.
The 2025 budget was passed on May 9 with a roll call vote of 7 “yeas” and 6 “absent” during a special-called meeting by the majority of the members. Robinson vetoed the ordinance on May 16, but the vote to override the veto was passed with a roll call vote of eight “yeas” and five marked absent during the June 9 special meeting.
According to Robinson, he is “now being paid from a budget that was improperly passed.”
Robinson has formally notified Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin of the constitutional question raised by his claim, a step required by state law. The Jefferson County Circuit Court is expected to review the claim and set a hearing date.