Guide
Arkansas Table of Authorities: Current Brief Rules
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Arkansas Supreme Court and Court of Appeals Rule 4-2(a)(4) requires an alphabetical table of authorities grouped into four named categories, with the brief page where each authority appears. The table follows the points on appeal and precedes the jurisdictional statement. Appellee briefs retain it under Rule 4-2(b); replies expressly require it under Rule 4-2(c).
Generate a reviewed Arkansas table of authorities using standard format, not an Arkansas preset. The generator has no Arkansas-specific preset. Adjust the grouping to the current rule and recheck your final brief PDF before filing.
“The table of authorities shall be an alphabetical listing of authorities with a designation of the page number of the brief on which the authority appears.” — Rule 4-2(a)(4).
Use the contemporary brief, not the old abstract template
The December 17, 2020 order, 2020 Ark. 421, adopted electronic-record briefing changes and eliminated abstract/addendum requirements for that framework. Electronic records became mandatory for cases with notices of appeal filed on or after June 1, 2021, subject to the order's pro se treatment. The order also preserved abstract/addendum requirements for specified older conventional-record cases. Do not turn that transition into a claim that every exceptional or legacy appeal uses identical contents.
For ordinary current briefing, Rule 4-2 places a jurisdictional statement and a statement of the case and facts after the table. The jurisdictional statement must address finality or another basis of appellate jurisdiction, filing dates establishing timeliness, and whether the Supreme Court or Court of Appeals should decide the appeal under Rule 1-2. Support it with authority and record pages. A generated TOA does not establish jurisdiction, supply missing facts or revive an obsolete abstract requirement.
| Section | Rule | Review task |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 4-2(a)(4)(A) | Alphabetize cited decisions; consolidate true full/short-form duplicates. |
| Statutes and Rules | 4-2(a)(4)(B) | Use the combined category, not a template that silently separates the required heading. |
| Books and Treatises | 4-2(a)(4)(C) | Check secondary authorities rather than placing every non-case source into Miscellaneous. |
| Miscellaneous | 4-2(a)(4)(D) | Review remaining authorities and their brief-page locators. |
| Jurisdictional statement | 4-2(a)(5) | Check finality, timeliness and court assignment separately from authority extraction. |
| Final electronic brief | 4-1(a), (e) | Review searchable PDF, cover-first pagination and section bookmarks yourself. |
Three different kinds of page numbers
A table reference points to your brief, not to the cited opinion or appellate record. Rule 4-2(f) uses RP for the circuit clerk's electronic record and RT for the reporter's portion. A legal authority cited on brief page 14 beside an (RP 57) reference belongs at 14 in the table; 57 locates the underlying record material. These numbers are hypothetical.
Rule 4-1(e) counts the cover as page one and requires section bookmarks. Do not import Roman-number front matter without checking this continuous pagination. Rule 4-1(a) requires represented parties' briefs to be a single word-searchable PDF converted from word-processing software, rather than a paper scan, and prohibits external hyperlinks. A Word table does not create those PDF features. Review them in the final export. The table rule states no express passim threshold; using verified page references avoids assuming one.
Create the table without losing Arkansas's structure
- Finish and export the draft. Preserve the complete brief and intended printed page numbers. Keep the matching Word file and leave room for the table after points on appeal.
- Select standard format. Open the generator link and confirm the actual settings; court detection or a sample may override the starting choice. There is no Arkansas preset.
- Review authorities and categories. Check all four required groups, full and short forms, rules in the jurisdictional statement, footnotes and every brief page. Do not copy the appellant's table into an appellee or reply without rebuilding its locators.
- Export to Word. PDF-only produces an editable Word table. Matching Word plus a text-layer PDF can insert ordinary table text into the brief. The DOCX-only route instead adds Word fields for Word for Windows to build and update.
- Re-export the completed brief. Table insertion may shift pages. Recheck locators, searchable text, bookmarks, confidentiality and prohibited external links. The generator neither adds bookmarks nor formats the entire filing.
Frequently asked
Does a reply brief need the table?
Yes. Rule 4-2(c) expressly lists a table of authorities among the reply's contents. Appellees also retain it under Rule 4-2(b), despite their options concerning narrative statements.
Are statutes and rules separate required categories?
Rule 4-2(a)(4) names the combined group Statutes and Rules, alongside Cases, Books and Treatises, and Miscellaneous. Review a standard-format export against those headings.
Should I still include an abstract and addendum?
Do not rely on an old template. The electronic-record reforms replaced those requirements within their framework. Check the record and procedural posture, particularly any exceptional legacy or pro se treatment, against current rules and orders.
Do the points on appeal replace the table?
No. Rule 4-2(a)(3) permits up to two principal-authority citations under a point. The separate table under (a)(4) must locate cited authorities throughout the brief.
Does this govern Arkansas trial memoranda?
This guide establishes requirements for appellate briefs in the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. Trial filings and specialized appellate papers need their own rule and order review. Generating a table does not establish that a trial memorandum requires one.
Official sources and dates
- Arkansas Judiciary — Rules of the Supreme Court and Court of AppealsOfficial consolidated PDF current through December 15, 2025, read directly October 14, 2026: Rules 4-1 and 4-2, including principal/reply contents, groups, pagination and record references.opinions.arcourts.gov
- Arkansas Supreme Court — 2020 Ark. 421December 17, 2020 adoption order read October 14, 2026 for the electronic-record and abstract/addendum transition. Direct official access timed out; full official PDF text was read through a text-fetch proxy. Current requirements were then checked against the consolidated official PDF above.arcourts.gov
Sources
- Arkansas consolidated appellate court rulesopinions.arcourts.gov
- Arkansas Supreme Court electronic-record adoption orderarcourts.gov
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