The Arkansas Supreme Court was busy today, both with opinions, scheduling in the same-sex marriage case and a list of oral arguments that included whether a local option alcohol question will be allowed in Saline County and whether a proposal to increase the minimum wage will make the statewide ballot.

I’m seeking some insight on how arguments went on Saline alcohol and the minimum wage. In both instances, challengers say irregularities in petition canvassing should disqualify the issues. The Supreme Court has cleared a statewide vote on alcohol sales in all 75 counties.

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I have been told by one spectator that justices seem split on the question of counting all signatures submitted for the Saline alcohol vote. A circuit judge disallowed some signatures submitted after an initial certification.

The justices indicated that the issues needed to be resolved soon because of an uncertain electorate. They could issue an order at any time.

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In other cases, the Supreme Court dispensed with a last-stab appeal in the tangled matter of Pine Bluff city elections. The upshot: the current mayor, Debe Hollingworth, will remain in office, along with other city officials, through 2016, as a lower court had decided.

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