Arkansas Bar Association and ballot organization react to Hot Springs Convention Center attorney removal

Hot Springs, Arkansas – After an attorney was barred from the Arkansas Bar Association’s annual conference at the Hot Springs Convention Center, the organization Arkansas Citizens for Transparency and the Arkansas Bar Association released statements.

Jennifer Waymack Standerfer, an attorney and association member, was reportedly kicked out for bringing ballot petitions for the Arkansas Government Disclosure Act and Amendment, according to Arkansas Citizens for Transparency.

Additionally, Standerfer is a member of Arkansas Citizens for Transparency’s ballot question committee.
A Hot Springs police officer made Standerfer leave during the incident, claiming he had violated the convention center’s anti-solicitation policies.

“We are aware of an incident that occurred during our Annual Meeting at the Hot Springs Convention Center (HSCC) in which an attendee was removed from the premises,” the Arkansas Bar Association said in a statement on Friday night.

The HSCC was not asked to remove the attendee by anybody with the authority to speak on behalf of the Arkansas Bar Association. The HSCC forbids solicitation of any kind, including petitions. The participant was informed of the existence of the HSCC policy by the Association’s executive director and leadership team. The Association gave the participant the HSCC staff’s contact details. Before being taken off the property, the participant met with an HSCC representative.

The Board of Trustees of the Arkansas Bar Association voted to uphold the rights guaranteed to citizens by the US and Arkansas constitutions and to reiterate the Association’s support for those rights during today’s regularly scheduled meeting.

The Arkansas Bar Association is dedicated to upholding the law and assisting lawyers.

Standerfer was informed that she would not be permitted to reenter the center and that gathering signatures on the sidewalk outside the center was prohibited.

Arkansas Citizens for Transparency called the arrest of Standerfer a civil rights infringement, saying in a statement on social media in part: “While Arkansas Citizens for Transparency strongly supports the rules of law, this protection must also extend to Standerfer’s constitutional right to advocate for the First Amendment.”