§ 23-2-423 - Arkansas Public Service Commission orders -- Judicial review -- Procedure.
23-2-423. Arkansas Public Service Commission orders -- Judicial review -- Procedure.
(a) (1) Any party to a proceeding before the Arkansas Public Service Commission aggrieved by an order issued by the commission in the proceeding may obtain a review of the order in the Arkansas Court of Appeals. The review of the order may be had by filing in that court, within thirty (30) days after the order of the commission upon the application for rehearing or within thirty (30) days from the date the application is deemed to be denied as provided in 23-2-422, a notice of appeal stating the nature of the proceeding before the commission, identifying the order complained of and the reasons why the order is claimed to be unlawful, and praying that the order of the commission be modified, remanded, or set aside in whole or in part.
(2) No proceeding to review any order of the commission shall be brought by any party unless that party has made application to the commission for a rehearing on the order.
(b) (1) A copy of the petition shall immediately be transmitted by the Clerk of the Arkansas Court of Appeals to the Secretary of the Arkansas Public Service Commission. Thereupon, the commission, within thirty (30) days from the service of the notice, shall file with the Arkansas Court of Appeals the record upon which the order complained of was entered.
(2) The record shall consist of a complete transcript of the record in the case made before the commission which shall include a copy of all pleadings, proceedings, testimony, exhibits, orders, findings, and opinions in the case. However, the parties and the commission may stipulate that only a specified portion of the record as made before the commission shall be included in the transcript to be filed with the Arkansas Court of Appeals.
(c) (1) Upon the filing of the petition, the court shall have original jurisdiction, which, upon the filing of the record with it, shall be exclusive, to affirm, modify, or set aside the order of the commission in whole or in part.
(2) No objection to any order of the commission shall be considered by the Arkansas Court of Appeals unless the objection shall have been urged before the commission in the application for rehearing.
(3) The finding of the commission as to the facts, if supported by substantial evidence, shall be conclusive.
(4) The review shall not be extended further than to determine whether the commission's findings are supported by substantial evidence and whether the commission has regularly pursued its authority, including a determination of whether the order or decision under review violated any right of the petitioner under the laws or Constitution of the United States or of the State of Arkansas.
(5) All evidence before the commission shall be considered by the court regardless of any technical rule which might have rendered the evidence inadmissible if originally offered in the trial of any action at law or in equity.
(d) The Arkansas Court of Appeals, on review, shall advance commission cases as matters of public interest over all other civil cases except child custody cases, and appeals under the Workers' Compensation Law, 11-9-101 et seq., and the Arkansas Employment Security Law, 11-10-101 et seq.
(e) Section 23-2-425 shall have no application to judicial review of orders of the commission.