Bruce Earl Ward v. State of Arkansas

Summary

The court denied Ward's motion to recall the mandate from his resentencing and lifted the stay of execution. It held that Ward showed neither an extraordinary defect in the appellate process nor materially different evidence, and that the prior resolution of his mental-health-expert claim remained controlling. The court further held that the later Supreme Court decision did not alter the governing requirements or establish a basis for reopening Ward's case. Chief Justice Kemp, dissenting, would have granted the motion because Ward allegedly received only an examination rather than meaningful expert assistance, while Justice Wood, concurring, urged the court to entertain mandate-recall motions more sparingly.