Category: Appellate Court Elections

Arkansas Supreme Court Associate Justice Jim Gunter Will Not Seek Re-Election

~ Tasha C. Taylor ~ 2 Comments

The Administrative Office of the Courts announced today that Associate Justice Jim Gunter will not seek re-election when his term ends in 2012.

The Arkansas Times reported in February of this year that Judge Ray Abramson, who is currently serving in an appointed position on the Arkansas Court of Appeals, was planning to run for the Arkansas Supreme Court in 2012. See Arkansas Times: Judge Ray Abramson to Run for Arkansas Supreme Court.  While Judge Abramson has not made an official announcement, the Arkansas Times continues to report that he will run for Justice Gunter’s seat.

Arkansas Times: Judge Ray Abramson To Run For Arkansas Supreme Court

~ Andy Taylor ~ 1 Comment

The Arkansas Times is reporting that Judge Ray Abramson, who is currently serving in an appointed position on the Arkansas Court of Appeals, will run for the Arkansas Supreme Court in 2012.  He would be running for Arkansas Supreme Court Associate Justice Jim Gunter‘s seat.  Justice Gunter has not announced whether he will seek re-election to that seat.

Swearing-In Ceremony for Newly Elected Arkansas Supreme Court Justices to be Streamed Live Today at 3:00 p.m.

~ Tasha C. Taylor ~ 1 Comment

The Honorable Karen Baker and the Honorable Courtney Hudson Henry will be sworn in as Associate Justices of the Arkansas Supreme Court today at 3:00 p.m. in the Arkansas Supreme Court courtroom in Little Rock.  The ceremony will be streamed live online. 

Judge Karen Baker formerly served as the Court of Appeals Judge for District 2, Position 2.  She was elected to the Arkansas Supreme Court in a runoff election on November 2, 2010, where she received 60% of the votes to overtake her opponent, Pulaski County Circuit Court Judge Tim Fox. See Arkansas Supreme Court Election Results: Judge Karen Baker Wins Election for Position 6.

Judge Courtney Henry, also a former Arkansas Court of Appeals Judge (for District 3), was elected to the Arkansas Supreme Court on May 18, 2010.  She received 58% of the vote to defeat Circuit Court Judge John Fogleman. See May 18, 2010 Judicial Election Results.

Former Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Annabelle Imber Tuck was the first female Justice to be elected to the Arkansas Supreme Court in 1997.  Justice Imber Tuck now serves as Commissioner of Arkansas Access to Justice.  The elections of the Honorable Courtney Henry and the Honorable Karen Baker mark only the second and third times in Arkansas history that females have been elected to serve as Associate Justices to the Arkansas Supreme Court.  Other women who have served on the Court by way of appointments include: Elsijane Trimble Roy, Betty Dickey, Andree Layton Roaf, and Elana Cunningham Wills.

Click here to watch the video from the January 10, 2011 Arkansas Supreme Court Swearing-In Ceremony.

Governor Beebe Makes Two Judicial Appointments to Arkansas Court of Appeals

~ Tasha C. Taylor ~ 3 Comments

Governor Mike Beebe announced yesterday two judicial appointments to the Arkansas Court of Appeals.  The two vacancies on the Court of Appeals were created by the 2010 elections of Court of Appeals Judges Karen Baker and Courtney Henry to the Arkansas Supreme Court. See Arkansas Supreme Court Election Results: Judge Karen Baker Wins Election for Position 6; Arkansas Democrat Gazette: Two Appellate Court Races Settled, One Headed to November Runoff.

The Governor appointed Cliff Hoofman, of Enola, to replace Karen Baker as Associate Judge for District 2.  His appointment expires on December 31, 2012.  Hoofman had been appointed by Governor Beebe to the Arkansas Highway Commission in 2007.  Hoofman has resigned from that position and his replacement will soon be announced by the Governor’s office.

Doug Martin, of Fayetteville, was appointed by the Governor as Associate Judge for District 3 on the Arkansas Court of Appeals to replace Courtney Henry.  His appointment expires on December 31, 2012.

UPDATE: Arkansas Supreme Court Election Results: Judge Karen Baker Wins Election for Position 6

~ Tasha C. Taylor ~ 3 Comments

With 78% of the precincts reporting, the Arkansas Democrat Gazette has called the election for Position 6 on the Arkansas Supreme Court for Judge Karen Baker.  Judge Baker led by a slim margin early in the night, but took a bigger lead as the night continued.  The race in Pulaski County (Judge Fox’s home county) was close, with Judge Baker edging out Judge Fox 51% to 49%.  In Judge Baker’s home county (Van Buren County), Judge Baker defeated Judge Fox by 73% to 27%.  As of the time this post was published, Judge Fox had won or was leading in the following counties: Ashley, Perry, Polk, Prairie. and Sevier.  Several other counties had not yet reported results.

Judge Karen Baker currently serves as the Court of Appeals Judge for District 2, Position 2.  She was elected to that position in 2000 and re-elected in 2004 (Act 1812 of 2003 reapportioned the Court of Appeals districts and required a new election for this position in 2004).  Judge Baker’s eight-year term on the Court of Appeals will end in 2012.  It is expected that Governor Mike Beebe will appoint a replacement for the vacancy that will be created when Judge Baker takes office as an Associate Justice on the Arkansas Supreme Court in January, 2011.

Judge Tim Fox was elected to serve as a Pulaski County Circuit Court judge in 2002 and then re-elected to another six-year term in 2008.

UPDATE: As of 6:00 p.m. on November 3, 2010, 98% of precincts are reporting the following results in the Supreme Court Election:  Baker 388,530 (61%), Fox 252,639 (39%).

Arkansas Business Analyzes Supreme Court Election Spending

~ Andy Taylor

Arkansas Justice Building--Home of the Arkansas Supreme Court and Arkansas Court of Appeals

In its October 25 issue, Arkansas Business published an article detailing the amount of money spent on Supreme Court races in Arkansas.  The articles provides a thorough analysis on the issue of money and judicial elections, both on the state level and from a national perspectives.  Some statistics of note:

Click here for a link to the article.