Hiland gets nod for U.S. attorney post

Cody Hiland, the elected prosecuting attorney for Faulkner, Van Buren and Searcy counties for the past six years, on Thursday was nominated by President Donald Trump to be the next U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas.

Hiland,

45, of Conway declined to comment when contacted Thursday evening, shortly after the White House sent out a news release announcing Trump’s “second wave” of U.S. attorney candidates. The announcement named nine appointees altogether in eight states.

If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Hiland will succeed Christopher Thyer, 47, who was one of 46 U.S. attorneys across the country who were asked to resign in mid-March as appointees of the previous administration.

Patrick Harris is serving as the acting U.S. attorney for the district.

Thyer, of Jonesboro, held the U.S. attorney position in the state’s Eastern District since Dec. 31, 2010. The political appointees are commonly replaced with each new presidential administration. Thyer, a former state representative, is now a senior vice president at Centennial Bank.

Arkansas’ two U.S. senators, John Boozman and Tom Cotton, both Republicans, applauded Trump’s choice for the Eastern District of Arkansas, which consists of 41 counties.

“Cody is an excellent choice,” Boozman said in the senators’ joint news release. “He brings years of legal experience to the table and an exceptional track record as a successful prosecutor in north central Arkansas. Senator Cotton and I will work with our colleagues to get Cody’s nomination confirmed as quickly as possible so he can begin working to make our communities safer.”

Cotton said: “J. Cody Hiland is the absolute best choice for this position, and I commend the president for making this appointment. He is well respected both among his colleagues and in the community at large. He has extensive experience in the law, which he will put to good use for the people of Arkansas. I will continue to work with Senator Boozman and my colleagues to make sure the Senate gives him a speedy approval.”

Hiland, whose full name is James Cody Hiland, was in private law practice before being elected to his position as the chief prosecutor for the state’s 20th Judicial Circuit. He was a partner at the law firm Hiland, Thomas & Cox in Conway. Before that, he served as staff attorney and rural and community liaison for the Arkansas Public Service Commission, program director for the Arkansas Transitional Employment Board and legislative liaison and aide to Gov. Mike Huckabee.

Hiland and his wife, Jana, have four children — Claire, 18; Catie, who will turn 17 in July; John Reagan, 15; and Ethan, 13. He graduated from the University of Central Arkansas in Conway and earned his law degree at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s W.H. Bowen School of Law.

Hiland