An often-reversed Arkansas judge struck down four new election integrity laws approved by the Republican-controlled state legislature, finding the statutes unconstitutional—but an appeal to the state’s supreme court seems imminent. Pulaski County Circuit Judge Wendell Griffen permanently enjoined the laws—Acts 249, 728, 736, and 973—on March 18 after a four-day trial. The statutes came as part of a nationwide wave of new state-level election laws that followed irregularities during the 2020 presidential election. In court, Griffen reportedly said the defendants, including Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston, a Republican, hadn’t demonstrated a need for the laws and that the state’s fears about election integrity were “based entirely on conjecture and speculation,” which “cannot be permitted to supply the place of proof.” Griffen said he would issue a detailed order at a later date. The lawsuit was initiated by the League of Women Voters of Arkansas (LWVAR), Arkansas United, and five …