Griffin: ‘As a longtime prosecutor, Deputy AG Chandler understands the unique needs and challenges of prosecuting attorneys’
LITTLE ROCK – Attorney General Tim Griffin issued the following statement announcing a new Deputy Attorney General for Special Prosecutions in his office:
“I am pleased to announce that I have hired Jeff Chandler as Deputy Attorney General to lead my Special Prosecutions Division. Deputy AG Chandler’s extensive experience as a prosecutor, public defender, and as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General’s Corps make him an excellent pick to lead this division.
“My Special Prosecutions Division works with prosecutors across Arkansas to provide support when needed and assist in prosecutions, particularly in the areas of human trafficking, organized retail crime, internet crimes against children, and public integrity. As a longtime prosecutor, Deputy AG Chandler understands the unique needs and challenges of prosecuting attorneys.”
Chandler is a retired lieutenant colonel who served in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General’s Corps and served as the Chief Deputy Prosecutor of the 5th Judicial District from 1998 to 2018. Since 2018 he has worked for the Arkansas Public Defender Commission – Capital Conflicts and Appellate Division, where he defended capital murder cases. Chandler received his undergraduate degree in microbiology and molecular genetics from Oklahoma State University and his law degree from the University of Arkansas School of Law in Fayetteville.
About Attorney General Tim Griffin
Tim Griffin was sworn in as the 57th Attorney General of Arkansas on January 10, 2023, having previously served as the state’s 20th Lieutenant Governor from 2015-2023. From 2011-2015, Griffin served as the 24th representative of Arkansas’s Second Congressional District, where he served on the House Committee on Ways and Means, House Armed Services Committee, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, House Committee on Ethics and House Committee on the Judiciary while also serving as a Deputy Whip for the Majority.
Griffin has served as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps for more than 28 years and currently holds the rank of colonel. In 2005, Griffin was mobilized to active duty as an Army prosecutor at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and served with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in Mosul, Iraq.
He is currently serving as the Commander of the 2d Legal Operations Detachment in New Orleans, Louisiana. His previous assignments include serving as the Commander of the 134th Legal Operations Detachment at Fort Liberty (née Bragg), North Carolina, and as a Senior Legislative Advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness at the Pentagon. Griffin earned a master’s degree in strategic studies as a Distinguished Honor Graduate from the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.
Griffin also served as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Political Affairs for President George W. Bush; Special Assistant to Assistant Attorney General Michael Chertoff, Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice; Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Arkansas; Senior Investigative Counsel, Government Reform and Oversight Committee, U.S. House of Representatives; and Associate Independent Counsel, Office of Independent Counsel David M. Barrett, In re: HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros.
Griffin is a graduate of Magnolia High School, Hendrix College in Conway, and Tulane Law School in New Orleans. He attended graduate school at Oxford University. He is admitted to practice law in Arkansas (active) and Louisiana (inactive). Griffin lives in Little Rock with his wife, Elizabeth, a Camden native, and their three children.
