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 Justice | In office | Notes[2] |
---|---|---|
Daniel Ringo | 1836–1844 | |
Thomas Johnson | 1845–1852 | |
George C. Watkins | 1853–1854 | |
Elbert H. English | 1855–1864 | After May 6, 1861, the state was part of the Confederate States of America |
Thomas D.W. Yonley | 1864–1866 | After April 9, 1865, the state was once again part of the USA |
David Walker | 1866–1868 | Ousted by military commander |
William W. Wilshire | 1868–1871 | |
John E. McClure | 1871–1874 | Constitution of 1868; previously an associate justice (position 5) |
Elbert H. English | 1874–1884 | |
Sterling Robertson Cockrill | 1884–1893 | |
Henry G. Bunn | 1893–1904 | Appointed; subsequently elected |
Joseph M. Hill | 1904–1909 | |
Edgar A. McCulloch | 1909–1927 | Appointed; subsequently elected |
Jesse C. Hart | 1927–1933 | |
Cecil E. Johnson | 1933–1936 | |
Griffin Smith | 1937–1955 | |
Lee Seamster | 1955–1956 | Appointed |
Carleton Harris | 1957–1980 | |
John A. Fogleman | 1980 | Appointed; previously an associate justice (position 6) |
Richard B. Adkisson | 1980–1984 | |
Webster Lee Hubbell | 1984 | Appointed by Governor Bill Clinton |
Jack Holt, Jr. | 1985–1995 | |
Bradley D. Jesson | 1995–1996 | Appointed |
W.H. "Dub" Arnold | 1997–2003 | |
Betty Dickey | 2004 | Appointed |
Jim Hannah | 2005–2015 | Previously an associate justice (position 5) |
Howard W. Brill | 2015–present | Appointed by Governor Asa Hutchinson |
Position 2 - Associate Justices
Associate Justice (position 2) | In office | Notes[2] |
---|---|---|
Townsend Dickinson | 1836–1842 | |
George W. Pashal | 1843 | |
William K. Sebastian | 1843–1844 | |
Williamson S. Oldham | 1845–1848 | |
Christopher C. Scott | 1848–1859 | |
Henry Massey Rector | 1859–1860 | |
Hulbert F. Fairchild | 1860–1864 | |
Albert Pike | 1864 | Confederate |
C.A. Harper | 1864–1866 | |
Freeman W. Compton | 1866–1868 | ousted by military commander |
Lafayette Gregg | 1868–1874 | Constitution of 1868 |
David Walker | 1874–1878 | |
Jesse Turner | 1878 | |
John A. Eakin | 1878–1885 | |
Burrill B. Battle | 1885–1910 | |
William F. Kirby | 1910–1916 | |
Thomas H. Humphreys | 1916–1942 | appointed |
R.W. Robins | 1943–1949 | |
Robert A. Leflar | 1949–1950 | appointed |
Sam Robinson | 1951–1965 | |
Osro Cobb | 1965–1966 | appointed |
J. Fred Jones | 1967–1977 | |
Elsijane Trimble Roy | 1977 | appointed |
George Howard, Jr. | 1977–1978 | appointed |
John I. Purtle | 1979–1989 | |
Otis H. Turner | 1990 | appointed |
Donald L. Corbin | 1991-2014 | |
Robin F. Wynne | 2014–Present |
Position 3 - Associate Justices
Associate Justice (position 3) | In office | Notes[2] |
---|---|---|
Thomas J. Lacy | 1836–1845 | |
Edward Cross | 1845–1846 | |
William Conway | 1847–1848 | |
David Walker | 1849–1855 | |
Thomas B. Hanly | 1856–1858 | |
Felix I. Batson | 1859 | |
Freeman W. Compton | 1859–1864 | Confederate |
John J. Clendenin | 1866–1868 | |
Thomas M. Bowen | 1868–1871 | |
John E. Bennett | 1871–1874 | |
Freeman W. Compton | 1874 | appointed |
William M. Harrison | 1874–1882 | |
William W. Smith | 1882–1888 | |
Monte H. Sandels | 1889–1890 | |
William W. Mansfield | 1891–1894 | |
James E. Riddick | 1894–1907 | appointed; subsequently elected |
Jesse C. Hart | 1907–1927 | appointed; subsequently elected |
Edgar L. McHaney | 1927–1948 | |
Charles C. Wine | 1948 | appointed |
George Rose Smith | 1949–1987 | |
Tom Glaze | 1987-2008 | |
Elana Cunningham Wills | 2008-2010 | appointed |
Courtney Hudson Goodson | 2010–Present |
Position 4 - Associate Justices
Associate Justice (position 4) | In office | Notes |
---|---|---|
M.L. Stephenson | 1873 | Constitution of 1868 |
Wilson E. Hemingway | 1889–1893 | |
Richard H. Powell | 1893 | appointed |
Carroll D. Wood | 1893–1929 | |
Turner Butler | 1929–1938 | |
W.R. Donham | 1938 | appointed |
J. Seaborn Holt | 1938–1961 | |
Neill Bohlinger | 1961–1962 | appointed |
J. Frank Holt | 1963–1966 | |
Hugh M. Bland | 1966 | appointed |
Conley Byrd | 1967–1980 | |
Richard L. Mays | 1980 | appointed |
Robert H. Dudley | 1981–1996 | |
Ray Thornton | 1997-2004 | |
Jim Gunter | 2005-2012 | |
Josephine L. Hart | 2012–Present |
Position 5 - Associate Justices
Associate Justice (position 5) | In office | Notes |
---|---|---|
John E. McClure | 1868–1871 | Constitution of 1868 |
Elhanan J. Searle | 1871–1873 | Constitution of 1868 |
Simon Pollard Hughes, Jr. | 1889–1904 | |
Edgar A. McCulloch | 1904–1909 | |
Samuel Frauenthal | 1909–1912 | appointed |
Frank G. Smith | 1912–1949 | |
Edwin Dunaway | 1949–1950 | appointed |
Paul Ward | 1951–1968 | |
J. Frank Holt | 1969–1983 | |
P.A. "Les" Hollingsworth | 1984 | appointed |
David Newbern | 1985–1998 | |
Lavenski R. Smith | 1999-2000 | appointed |
Jim Hannah | 2001-2004 | elected Chief Justice |
Betty Dickey | 2005-2006 | appointed |
Paul Danielson | 2006–Present |
Position 6 - Associate Justices
Associate Justice (position 6) | In office | Notes |
---|---|---|
William F. Kirby | 1927–1934 | |
Basil Baker | 1934–1941 | |
Karl Greenhaw | 1941–1942 | appointed |
Ben Carter | 1943 | |
Robert C. Knox | 1943–1944 | appointed |
Minor W. Millwee | 1945–1958 | |
William J. Smith | 1958 | appointed |
Jim Johnson | 1959–1966 | |
Guy Amsler | 1966 | appointed |
John A. Fogleman | 1967–1980 | appointed Chief Justice |
John F. Stroud, Jr. | 1980 | appointed |
Steele Hays | 1981–1994 | |
Andree Layton Roaf | 1995–1996 | appointed |
Annabelle Clinton Imber | 1997-2009 | |
William H. Bowen | 2010 | appointed |
Ronald Lee Sheffield | 2010 | appointed |
Karen R. Baker | 2010–Present |
Position 7 - Associate Justices
Associate Justice (position 7) | In office | Notes |
---|---|---|
James W. Mehaffy | 1927 | died before assuming office |
Tom M. Mehaffy | 1927–1942 | appointed; subsequently elected |
Ed F. McFaddin | 1943–1966 | |
Lyle Brown | 1967–1975 | |
Elsijane Trimble Roy | 1975–1977 | appointed |
Darrell Hickman | 1977–1990 | |
Dale Price | 1990 | |
Robert L. Brown | 1991–2012 | [3] |
Cliff Hoofman | 2013–2014 | [4] |
Rhonda K. Wood | 2014–Present |
References
- 1 2 William B. Jones, Jr. (original compiler). "Arkansas Courts Historical Background". Courts Historical Background. State of Arkansas. Retrieved 2012-03-27.
- 1 2 3 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. line feed character in
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at position 38 (help) - ↑ http://judgepedia.org/Robert_L._Brown
- ↑ http://judgepedia.org/Cliff_Hoofman