RUTLEDGE RECORD
Defending the 2nd Amendment
As Attorney General of Arkansas, I have defended our Second Amendment Rights in the Supreme Court and in front of hostile activist judges nationwide. Constitutional rights do not stop at state lines -- I will fight to secure my fellow Americans’ rights to bear arms just as vigorously as I protect Arkansans.
The Rutledge Record on our gun rights:
As Attorney General of Arkansas, I have defended our Second Amendment Rights in the Supreme Court and in front of hostile activist judges nationwide. Constitutional rights do not stop at state lines -- I will fight to secure my fellow Americans’ rights to bear arms just as vigorously as I protect Arkansans.
The Rutledge Record on our gun rights:
- “A” rating by the National Rifle Association
- Leading 16 other state Attorneys General in a counter-lawsuit to defend the NRA from New York’s Attorney General, Letitia James.
- Fought in a 16 state coalition opposing Illinois’ unconstitutional gun permit law
- Petitioned the Supreme Court to protect lawful gun owners’ rights here in Arkansas and nationwide.
- Opposed Obama-era executive actions on guns that curbed the rights of law-abiding gun owners nationwide.
- Worked with the state legislature to make Arkansas a sanctuary 2nd Amendment state.
Fighting for our Pro-Life Values
My proudest moment as Arkansas’s Attorney General was when Arkansas was rated the most pro-life state in the country. We have fought hard over the past seven years, and I will ensure our pro-life and pro-family values remain protected from assaults from the far-left.
The Rutledge Record on our shared pro-life values:
My proudest moment as Arkansas’s Attorney General was when Arkansas was rated the most pro-life state in the country. We have fought hard over the past seven years, and I will ensure our pro-life and pro-family values remain protected from assaults from the far-left.
The Rutledge Record on our shared pro-life values:
- Successfully defended the State of Arkansas's right to terminate Planned Parenthood from the taxpayer’s payroll.
- Defended elective surgeries directive to prevent surgical abortions from being performed during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Successfully defended Arkansas’s Heartbeat Protection and Unborn Child Protection Acts in front of hostile courts, winning 5 out of 6 times.
- Fought alongside 19 other state Attorneys General to protect pro-life speech under assault in California in front of the Supreme Court.
Fighting Government Overreach Washington D.C. is convinced it has all the answers and loves nothing more than to overrule Arkansas’s constitutional rights. I have fought burdensome and harmful legislation from destroying jobs in Arkansas. I believe in the rule of law, and that our state’s rights should remain protected from illegal Federal action, because the government closest to home is best.
The Rutledge Record on Government Overreach
The Rutledge Record on Government Overreach
- Joined a lawsuit to stop the EPA’s Water of the United States Rule. These burdensome, one-size-fits-all regulations would have decimated farmers and ranchers in Arkansas.
- Fought in a 20-state coalition to overturn Obamacare’s unconstitutional individual mandate.
- Worked with other states' Attorneys General to overturn Sanctuary jurisdiction rules set in place by the Obama Administration.
- Sued the Obama Administration to overturn the illegal executive actions on immigration.
- Challenged the Obama Administration’s “Clean Power Plan” that would have raised rates on Arkansans and prevented our own state leaders from ensuring our air is clean.
- Fought to protect religious liberties in Arkansas courts and across the country.
- Leading a multi-state coalition of attorneys general calling on the Biden Administration to reinstate the Keystone XL pipeline permit.
- Pushed the Biden Administration to arrest and remove unlawful immigrants convicted of sex crimes.
- Sued President Biden to protect our state's authority to lower taxes for Arkansans.
- Fighting a Biden executive order to expand federal agencies to regulate greenhouse gases.
Fighting for Arkansas’s Veterans
Our veterans and service members have given much for our nation so that we may be the land of the free, and we must ensure our brave have a place to call home.
The Rutledge Record on Veterans
Our veterans and service members have given much for our nation so that we may be the land of the free, and we must ensure our brave have a place to call home.
The Rutledge Record on Veterans
- Stood up for our servicemembers and their families by launching the first-ever Military and Veterans Initiative at the Attorney General’s office.
- Obtained over $650,000 in relief for victimized military members and veterans through USA Discounters lawsuit that targeted military, veterans and government employees.
- Allocated $500,000 to the Gold Star Families Memorial at the Capitol grounds.
- Allocated $750,000 to the Bowen School of Law to help create their Veterans’ Legal Services Clinic which provides Pro Bono legal services to Arkansas veterans.
- Provided the full start up cost of $170,000 to assist in opening 10 Veteran Service Offices across the state.
- Established Military Consumer Protection Day, an initiative to empower active duty and retired service members, veterans and families and help them defend against fraud and make better-informed decisions when managing money.
Fighting the Opioid Crisis In 2018, Arkansas providers wrote 93.5 opioid prescriptions for every 100 persons -- nearly double the national rate. With an estimated $33 billion in lost economic output -- along with countless lives lost -- Arkansans have been much more harmfully affected by opiate addiction than our fellow Americans. I have taken opioid manufacturers to court, introduced education programs to stop yet another generation from falling into the crisis, and worked with law enforcement to collect old or unused opioids.
The Rutledge Record on Arkansas’s Opioid Crisis:
The Rutledge Record on Arkansas’s Opioid Crisis:
- Launched a first-in-the-nation Prescription for Life initiative to tackle opioid abuse by offering a free education to every high school student in Arkansas, benefitting tens of thousands of students.
- Began Prescription Drug Take Backs in all 75 counties. As I have worked hand-in-hand with county Sheriff and Police departments to collect over 1000 pounds of old or unused medications.
- Sued opioid manufacturers in the courts for their malicious business practices that have impacted thousands of Arkansans' lives.
- Partnered with the University of Arkansas to memorialize the victims of the opioid crisis, creating a permanent monument to help raise awareness about this epidemic.
- Hosted a yearly prescription Drug Abuse Summit with over 1,000 attendees.
Standing Up for Law Enforcement
As Arkansas’s top law enforcement official, I am responsible for defending and preserving Law & Order in my home state. While far-left Governors and Attorneys General are willing to throw law enforcement under the bus, I will always stand with Arkansas’s thin blue line. I have made an ironclad commitment NEVER to defund Arkansas law enforcement agencies police
The Rutledge Record on Defending the Police NOT Defunding the Police
As Arkansas’s top law enforcement official, I am responsible for defending and preserving Law & Order in my home state. While far-left Governors and Attorneys General are willing to throw law enforcement under the bus, I will always stand with Arkansas’s thin blue line. I have made an ironclad commitment NEVER to defund Arkansas law enforcement agencies police
The Rutledge Record on Defending the Police NOT Defunding the Police
- Fought to prevent the FCC from taking funds away from our local law enforcement agencies.
- Innovated and improved the training provided as part of my office’s Law Enforcement Summits that provide free support to our Law Enforcement Officers.
- Began a program to award outstanding Law Enforcement Officers of the Year in all 75 counties.
- Allocated $1 million for PPE, along with 23,000 facemasks, for Arkansas’s law enforcement and first responders.
- Brought law enforcement training to the entire state.
- Protected Arkansas by defending President Trump’s executive order to suspend travel from countries known to be hotbed for terrorism.
Enforcing the Law & Keeping Our Communities Safe I have worked tirelessly to secure our streets, neighborhoods, and communities from criminals and those that would cause harm to innocent civilians. As Arkansas’s top prosecutor, I have always made it clear that there is no room for leniency for violent criminals.
The Rutledge Record on Law & Order:
The Rutledge Record on Law & Order:
- Unveiled Laura’s Card, distributing over 100,000 informational cards for domestic abuse victims to avail them of resources at their disposal.
- Allocated over $2 million available for Arkansas crime victims in 2020 alone.
- Put COVID-19 pricing gouging fraudsters on notice. We have returned $2.5 million to Arkansas’s taxpayers to date.
- Prosecuted more Medicaid Fraud cases in my first four years as Attorney General than the 16 previous years combined, returning over $6.5 million to Arkansas taxpayers in one case alone.
- Fought against federal overreach, determined to overturn Arkansas death penalty convictions. I ensured perpetrators of violent crime saw the justice they deserve.
- Prosecuted con artists that intentionally targeted our veterans and seniors to con them out of their hard-earned benefits.
- Spearheaded anti-robocall efforts, which culminated in President Trump’s passage of the TRACED Act. This federal legislation will protect Arkansans from malicious business practices and con artists.
Fighting for Arkansas Small Businesses Small businesses are the lifeblood of our state. Arkansas’s 244,000 small businesses employ 48% of the labor force. As we emerge from this pandemic, I promise to continue to provide relief to stabilize, foster, and grow Arkansas’s small businesses.
The Rutledge Record on Small Businesses:
The Rutledge Record on Small Businesses:
- Allocated $3 million to Arkansas’s Quick Action Loan Program for small businesses impacted by COVID-19
- Pushed back against federal overreach and overregulation to maintain a fair playing field for Arkansas’s businesses.
- Opened an investigation into Facebook’s business practices to ensure that businesses using Facebook’s platform are treated fairly and protected from malicious business practices.
- Successfully overturned Obama-era Labor rules on overtime, which would have harmed Arkansas businesses and cost jobs.
- Joined with 18 other state Attorneys General to fight back against Obamacare’s “Individual Mandate” for small businesses in the Supreme Court.
- Worked with the Trump Administration to ease Obama-era lending rules, which had previously made obtaining loans near impossible for small businesses.
Fighting for Transparency, Accountability & Accessibility. One of my proudest accomplishments as Attorney General is my commitment to accessibility to the public, because Little Rock doesn’t have all the answers and we need to listen to all Arkansans from Bella Vista to Eudora, from Lewisville to Blytheville Every single one of Arkansas’s elected officials needs to be accessible and held to account.
The Rutledge Record on Transparency:
The Rutledge Record on Transparency:
- Travel yearly to all 75 counties, holding hundreds of events, meeting with thousands of Arkansans, and handling 60,000 pieces of casework as of 2020.
- Hosted FOIA workshops and partnered with the Arkansas Press Association to help voters hold their elected officials accountable.
- Provided freedom of information handbooks, law enforcement handbooks, Laura’s cards, file of life, internet safety, and many more publications all over the state to promote government transparency in our state government.
- Created the Public Integrity Division to fight corruption from unfaithful government officials employees.
Fighting for Arkansas’s Consumers
As Arkansas’s consumer-advocate-in-chief, it falls to me to ensure that malicious business practices are prosecuted, con-artists jailed, and government overreach stopped. I will continue my fight for fairness and equality as Governor.
The Rutledge Record on Consumer Advocacy
As Arkansas’s consumer-advocate-in-chief, it falls to me to ensure that malicious business practices are prosecuted, con-artists jailed, and government overreach stopped. I will continue my fight for fairness and equality as Governor.
The Rutledge Record on Consumer Advocacy
- Fought Social Security disability fraud by launching the Arkansas Cooperative Disability Investigations Program, which has saved taxpayers millions of dollars.
- Won an 8-0 decision in the Supreme Court of the United States, against pharmacy benefit managers and for independent pharmacies. This will ultimately lower prescription drug costs for all Arkansans.
- Created a “Digital You” online safety program to shield young Arkansans of all ages from online criminals such as kidnappers and scammers.
- Launched the Metal Theft Prevention Unit. This unit drastically reduced metal thefts in just a few months.