List of Justices of the Arkansas Supreme Court

The following is a list of Justices of the Arkansas Supreme Court. Article VI, Section 1, of the Arkansas Constitution of 1836 established a Supreme Court; Section 2 declared it would consist of three judges, including a Chief Justice.[1]

The Reconstruction Constitution of 1868, which placed the state under military control, added two justices; the Arkansas Constitution of 1874 rolled back the expansion, but stipulated that once the population of the state should "amount to one million, the General Assembly may, if deemed necessary, increase the number of judges of the Supreme Court to five."[1] In 1889, the population milestone was reached, and the legislature authorized a total of five justices. Constitutional sanction of the enlargement came in 1924 with voter approval of Amendment 9, which also allowed for the future legislative creation of two additional judgeships. Act 205 of 1925 further increased the number of justices to seven.

Chief Justices

Chief JusticeIn officeNotes[2]
Daniel Ringo1836–1844 
Thomas Johnson1845–1852 
George C. Watkins1853–1854 
Elbert H. English1855–1864 After May 6, 1861, the state was part of the Confederate States of America
Thomas D.W. Yonley1864–1866 After April 9, 1865, the state was once again part of the USA
David Walker1866–1868Ousted by military commander
W.W. Wilshire1868–1871 
John E. McClure1871–1874Constitution of 1868; previously an associate justice (position 5)
Elbert H. English1874–1884 
Sterling Robertson Cockrill1884–1893 
Henry G. Bunn1893–1904Appointed; subsequently elected
Joseph M. Hill1904–1909 
Edgar A. McCulloch1909–1927Appointed; subsequently elected
Jesse C. Hart1927–1933 
Cecil E. Johnson1933–1936 
Griffin Smith1937–1955 
Lee Seamster1955–1956Appointed
Carleton Harris1957–1980
John A. Fogleman1980Appointed; previously an associate justice (position 6)
Richard B. Adkisson1980–1984 
Webster Lee Hubbell1984Appointed by Governor Bill Clinton
Jack Holt, Jr.1985–1995 
Bradley D. Jesson1995–1996Appointed
W.H. "Dub" Arnold1997–2003 
Betty Dickey2004Appointed
Jim Hannah2005–presentPreviously an associate justice (position 5)

Position 2 - Associate Justices

Associate Justice
(position 2)		In officeNotes[2]
Townsend Dickinson1836–1842 
Robin F. Wynne2014–Present 

Position 3 - Associate Justices

Associate Justice
(position 3)		In officeNotes[2]
Thomas J. Lacy1836–1845 
Edward Cross1845–1846 
Courtney Hudson Goodson2010–Present 

Position 4 - Associate Justices

Associate Justice
(position 4)		In officeNotes
Carroll D. Wood1893–1929 
Josephine L. Hart2012–Present 

Position 5 - Associate Justices

Associate Justice
(position 5)		In officeNotes
Paul Danielson2006–Present 

Position 6 - Associate Justices

Associate Justice
(position 6)		In officeNotes
Karen R. Baker2010–Present 

Position 7 - Associate Justices

Associate Justice
(position 7)		In officeNotes
Robert L. Brown1991–2012 [3]
Cliff Hoofman2013–2014 [4]
Rhonda K. Wood2014–Present 

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 William B. Jones, Jr. (original compiler). "Arkansas Courts Historical Background". Courts Historical Background. State of Arkansas. Retrieved 2012-03-27.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 William B. Jones, Jr. (original compiler). "Arkansas Courts Historical Background". Justices of the Supreme Court of the State of Arkansas (1836–2011). State of Arkansas. Retrieved 2012-03-27.
  3. ↑ http://judgepedia.org/Robert_L._Brown
  4. ↑ http://judgepedia.org/Cliff_Hoofman