LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A ruling by the Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday means an Arkansas House candidate’s votes he receives in the primary will not be counted.

The ruling upheld a Pulaski County Circuit Court ruling that Republican primary candidate for House District 92 Casey Reed was ineligible to run for office. Since Reed’s name is on the ballot, votes for him will not be counted, according to the ruling.

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The case originated when political activist Ken Yang filed a suit. Yang maintained that Reed’s pleading guilty to felony Abuse of Public Trust in 2012 made him ineligible to hold office. The circuit court agreed, and the Supreme Court upheld that decision.

Reed had maintained that he pleaded guilty but was not convicted of the felony and was therefore eligible to run for office, an argument the Supreme Court rejected. He further maintained that Yang was not eligible to challenge his candidacy, since he did not live in District 92, a claim the court also rejected, as Yang was an Arkansas citizen.

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The court also reversed one component of the Pulaski County court’s finding by allowing Yang to file a petition for attorney’s fees and expenses for his suit.

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