Faulkner County Circuit Court Judge Mike Murphy announced this morning his plan to run for District 2, Position 2 of the Arkansas Court of Appeals on the March 1, 2016 election. Judge Murphy was elected to serve as the 1st Division of the Faulkner County Circuit Court in May of 2014. Prior to taking office for his elected position in January of 2015, Judge Murphy was appointed by Governor Mike Beebe to fill the vacancy left in the 2nd Division of the Faulkner County Circuit Court when the Arkansas Supreme Court removed Judge Mike Maggio from the bench last year. After completing Maggio’s term through December 31, 2014, Judge Murphy took office in his elected (and current) position as 1st Division Circuit Court Judge in Faulkner County. His term in that position expires on December 31, 2020.
The Court of Appeals position that Judge Murphy is seeking is currently occupied by Governor Beebe appointee Cliff Hoofman. Judge Hoofman was appointed to that seat when Rhonda Wood was elected to the Arkansas Supreme Court and may not seek re-election to that position.
The press release issued this morning by Judge Mike Murphy follows:
(Conway, Arkansas) — Circuit Judge Mike Murphy of Conway has announced his candidacy for the Arkansas Court of Appeals, District 2, Position 2 in the March 1, 2016 nonpartisan judicial elections.
Murphy currently serves as the 1st Division circuit judge for the 20th Judicial District (Faulkner, Searcy and Van Buren counties).
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve our citizens as one of their trial judges. It is an honor to seek this position on the appellate court bench. If elected, I pledge to work hard and uphold our laws with fairness, honesty and integrity.”
A Faulkner County native, Murphy opened a private law practice in 1988 and worked as a deputy prosecutor. Elected as Conway’s city attorney in 1990, he served for over 22 years before being elected circuit judge. Murphy attended UCA and the University of Arkansas, receiving his law degree from the School of Law in Fayetteville in 1986. He also served as law clerk for the United States Magistrate Judge in Springfield, Missouri.
Murphy was an adjunct instructor at UCA; member of the Arkansas Bar Association House of Delegates; a past-president of the Arkansas City Attorneys Association and former member of the Little Rock Air Force Base Community Council. He is a member of the Arkansas Judicial Council, the Arkansas and Faulkner County Bar Associations and serves on the boards of the Conway Public Schools Foundation and the Faulkner County Museum Commission.
Murphy is the father of three teenagers and member of Conway’s First United Methodist Church.
District 2 of the Court of Appeals is comprised of 18 counties, including Baxter, Boone, Cleburne, Conway, Faulkner, Fulton, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Lawrence, Marion, Newton, Pope, Randolph, Searcy, Sharp, Stone, and Van Buren.
ArkansasAppeals.com 