March 1 primary also includes judicial elections

March 1 primary also includes judicial elections

Arkansans will elect new state Supreme Court Chief Justice

By the Evening Times News Staff

news @ theeveningtimes.com While most voters will likely be focused on the presidential race in the upcoming vote, the party primaries will also include the non-partisan judicial general election when voting takes place.

And voting comes earlier this year than in years past.

The primary and judicial elections will be held in Arkansas this year on March 1.

The judicial general election includes four contested races for seats on Arkansas’s appellate courts (two in each court). The races for the open seats on the Arkansas Supreme Court will be elected in a statewide election. The seats open on the Arkansas Court of Appeals will be elected only by voters in each seat’s district.

Arkansas Supreme Court

In the Arkansas Supreme Court, the contest for the position of Chief Justice (Position 1) resulted from former Chief Justice Jiim Hannah’s announcement earlier this year that he would retire early. Position 5 is open because Justice Paul Danielson decided not to seek re-election for that position.

The candidates for the two contested races on the Arkansas Supreme Court are:

Chief Justice Position 1

State Supreme Court Justice Courtney Goodson; Judge Dan Kemp.

Association Justice Position §

Judge Shawn A. Womack; Clark W. Mason.

Arkansas Court of Appeals

In the Court of Appeals, there are two races that are uncontested: Judge Rita W. Gruber will remain the Associate Justice for District 6, Position 1; and Judge Waymond Brown will keep his seat as District 7 Associate Judge.

The two contested races in the Court of Appeals are for District 2, Position 2 (currently occupied by Judge Cliff Hoofman, who was appointed to replace Justice Rhonda Wood when she was elected to the Arkansas Supreme Court) and District 5 (currently occupied by Mike Kinard, who was appointed to replace Justice Robin Wynne after Wynne was elected to the Arkansas Supreme Court).

The candidates for the two contested positions on the Arkansas Court of Appeals are:

Associate Judge District 2, Position 2

Judge Mike Murphy; Prosecuting Attorney Cody Hiland.

Associate Judge District 5 James McMenis; Job Serebrov; Mark Klappenbach.

Circuit Court Judge

Locally, residents of Crittenden and Mississippi counties will elect a new Circuit Judge. The vacancy was created when Circuit Judge Victor Hill decided not to seek re-election. The candidates are:

Circuit Judge, District 02, Division 06

Attorney Tonya Alexander of Marion; Attorney Curtis Walker Jr. of Blytheville.

Attorney Tonya Alexander

Attorney Curtis Walker Jr.