The Arkansas Supreme Court today agreed a Franklin County judge didn’t have jurisdiction to hear the challenge of election results for the Republican primary race for House District 25, and should have considered a motion to transfer the case.

Jody Harris has alleged irregularities in her seven-vote loss to Chad Puryear in a district that includes parts of Crawford, Franklin and Washington counties.

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The Franklin County judge dismissed the lawsuit, saying he said he lacked jurisdiction because alleged irregularities occurred in Crawford County. The Supreme Court said this ruling was correct. But it said the judge had erred in denying Harris’ motion to transfer the case to Crawford Circuit Court. It ordered the judge to hold a hearing on whether he had the discretion to approve the transfer.

The decision was 5-2, with dissents from Justices Rhonda Wood and Shawn Womack, who said the case could have been heard in Franklin County. Justice Barbara Webb didn’t participate and Wendy Scholtens sat in her place as a special justice.

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