By Ralph Hardin

ralphhardin@gmail.com The Honorable John N.

Fogleman is a judge for the Second Circuit of the Arkansas Circuit Courts, in Division 8, serving Clay, Craighead, Crittenden, Greene, Mississippi and Poinsett counties.

On Feb. 16, 2016, early voting begins for the March 1, primary. While not receiving the same publicity as many other races, voters will also head to the polls to decide various judicial positions in the Nonpartisan Judicial Elections. In Crittenden County everyone will have the opportunity to vote for two positions on the Arkansas Supreme Court — an Associate Justice position and Chief Justice, while a portion of Crittenden County voters will also have the chance to vote for a Circuit Judge to replace the retiring Circuit Judge Victor Hill.

As part of an effort to inform voters, Judge Fogleman (who was re-elected in 2014, and does not face reelection until 2020) recently addressed the Marion Rotary on the upcoming judicial race. Judge Fogleman was also gracious enough to provide similar insight to the Evening Times.

“In ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ (the movie), Gregory Peck, in his argument to the jury says: ‘In this country our courts are the great levelers, in our courts all men are created equal. I am no idealist to believe firmly in the integrity of our courts and in our jury system.

That is no ideal to me, that is a living, working reality,” explained Fogleman.

“In order for our courts to be the ‘great levelers,’ we as a people, must strive to elect men and women, as judges, not only with the keenest legal minds and with the most experience working with the law but also with the highest integrity.”

The judge expressed his wish that voters not take the judicial elections lightly.

“What I have to say may well apply to every race that will be on your ballot

John N. Fogleman

Fogleman: ‘ Our ability to function successfully as a court and a judicial branch is totally dependent upon the public's trust and confi-dence in the court system.’