VOTE411 Voter Guide

The duties of the office are to review what happened in the trial court and decide whether the law was applied correctly, not to retry the case.

I have been blessed with a legal career that has allowed me to serve Arkansans by handling everything from real estate transactions, divorces, custody, probate matters, juvenile court proceedings (where I represented parents and kids), and I’ve served as a public defender where I advocated to make sure people’s constitutional rights were protected. As a sitting judge I have presided over 30,000 cases. 30,000 real people have stood in front of me and asked for fairness, accountability, and for the law to be applied correctly. I served in the Arkansas Legislature for two terms, this experience helps me understand how laws are made, but most importantly as a Judge I know how the laws affect real people’s lives. My perspective sets me apart.

I’d like to improve consistency and predictability in the Court’s work, because the public and the bar should be able to rely on predictable decisions. I’ll accomplish that by emphasizing careful precedent review at the outset of each case, clearly stating the standard of review and controlling law in every opinion, and using structured internal review so that similar cases are treated the same. Consistently builds trust and helps our trial courts apply the law correctly the first time. I’d also like to increase accessibility, helping Arkansans understand how the appellate process works and what a decision means. I’ll do that by writing opinions in clear language, avoiding unnecessary jargon, and clearly explaining the reason for the result

A Judge on the Court of Appeals in its simplest terms serves to review judicial decisions made at the Circuit Court level; however, in reality the job is much more nuanced. Virtually all appeals originate in the Circuit Court, the trial court level in Arkansas. A party who has had an adverse ruling, for instance, the losing side in a jury trial, will file an appeal with the Court of Appeals for review by a panel of Judges working together to ensure that the law was followed below. The panel will review the entire transcript and pleadings of the trial, the arguments provided in briefs by the parties and render a decision. A majority vote amongst these Judges decides the outcome, which is then reduced to a written opinion and published.

At last report in 2024, more than 35 percent of the cases on the Court of Appeals docket are criminal appeals, which is the largest category of cases on the docket. For the past 21 years, I have represented the State of Arkansas and the United States as a prosecutor. In this capacity, I have tried scores of cases before state and federal juries, and represented the United States before the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals on multiple occasions annually for over a decade. This vast experience in handling the types of cases that end up before appellate courts, and actually practicing appellate law in appellate courts makes me the most qualified to be elected Associate Judge on the Arkansas Court of Appeals.

The Court of Appeals case clearance rate needs significant work in some areas, particularly criminal cases. According to the 2024 report, while civil cases are cleared at a rate over 200 percent, some criminal categories are cleared at an abysmal 50 percent rate. While my expertise in these areas will speed up criminal cases, a shift from antiquated practices would help more. In today’s digital workplaces, there is no need for the Court of Appeals to continue to receive a three-month recess to return to their home district in the summer, or even work full-time in Little Rock. If elected, I will immediately advocate that the Court be in session 12 months per year, just like the Supreme Court, and embrace modern, digital practices.