Ark. Code Ann. § 5-2-603

This is the official text of Ark. Code Ann. § 5-2-603, part of Arkansas’s Code Ann — part of the compiled statutory law of Arkansas, published by the state as "Code Ann." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.

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Execution of public duty

Official statutory text

(a) Conduct that would otherwise constitute an offense is justifiable when it is: (1) Required or authorized by law or by a judicial decree; or (2) Performed by a public servant or a person acting at the public servant's direction in a reasonable exercise or performance of the public servant's official power, duty, or function. (b) The justification afforded by this section applies if the actor reasonably believes his or her conduct is required or authorized: (1) By the judgment or direction of a competent court or tribunal or in the lawful execution of legal process, notwithstanding lack of jurisdiction of the court or tribunal or defect in the legal process; or (2) To assist a public servant in the performance of the public servant's duty, notwithstanding that the public servant has exceeded the public servant's legal authority. Acts 1975, No. 280, § 503; A.S.A. 1947, § 41-503.

(a) Conduct that would otherwise constitute an offense is justifiable when it is: (1) Required or authorized by law or by a judicial decree; or (2) Performed by a public servant or a person acting at the public servant's direction in a reasonable exercise or performance of the public servant's official power, duty, or function.

(1) Required or authorized by law or by a judicial decree; or

(2) Performed by a public servant or a person acting at the public servant's direction in a reasonable exercise or performance of the public servant's official power, duty, or function.

(b) The justification afforded by this section applies if the actor reasonably believes his or her conduct is required or authorized: (1) By the judgment or direction of a competent court or tribunal or in the lawful execution of legal process, notwithstanding lack of jurisdiction of the court or tribunal or defect in the legal process; or (2) To assist a public servant in the performance of the public servant's duty, notwithstanding that the public servant has exceeded the public servant's legal authority.

(1) By the judgment or direction of a competent court or tribunal or in the lawful execution of legal process, notwithstanding lack of jurisdiction of the court or tribunal or defect in the legal process; or

(2) To assist a public servant in the performance of the public servant's duty, notwithstanding that the public servant has exceeded the public servant's legal authority.

Acts 1975, No. 280, § 503; A.S.A. 1947, § 41-503.

Status: in_force

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About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.