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Arkansas Supreme Court elections, 2020
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The term of one Arkansas Supreme Court justice expired on December 31, 2020. Justice Josephine Hart did not file for re-election. Barbara Womack Webb defeated Morgan Welch in the nonpartisan general election for Hart's seat on the court on March 3, 2020.
Election procedure changes in 2020
Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.
Arkansas modified its absentee/mail-in voting procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election as follows:
- Absentee/mail-in voting: Voters in the general election could cite concerns over COVID-19 as a valid excuse for voting absentee.
For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.
Candidates and results
Position 4
General election
General election for Arkansas Supreme Court Position 4
Barbara Webb defeated Morgan Welch in the general election for Arkansas Supreme Court Position 4 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Barbara Webb (Nonpartisan) | 53.6 | 245,736 |
 | Morgan Welch (Nonpartisan) | 46.4 | 212,443 | |
| Total votes: 458,179 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Justices not on the ballot
- Josephine Hart (Position 4)
Past elections
2018
- See also: Arkansas Supreme Court elections, 2018
General runoff election
General runoff election for Arkansas Supreme Court Position 3
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Courtney Rae Hudson (Nonpartisan) | 55.7 | 463,631 |
 | David Sterling (Nonpartisan) | 44.3 | 369,283 | |
| Total votes: 832,914 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
General election
General election for Arkansas Supreme Court Position 3
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Courtney Rae Hudson (Nonpartisan) | 37.1 | 113,825 |
| ✔ | | David Sterling (Nonpartisan) | 34.2 | 104,817 |
 | Kenneth Hixson (Nonpartisan) | 28.7 | 87,948 | |
| Total votes: 306,590 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
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2016
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About the Arkansas Supreme Court
- See also: Arkansas Supreme Court
There are seven justices on the Arkansas Supreme Court, each elected to eight-year terms. They compete in nonpartisan primaries (occurring at the same time as the primary elections for other state officials) in which the candidate who receives more than 50 percent of the vote wins the seat. If no candidate garners a majority of the vote, the top two candidates compete in a runoff during the general election.[1]
Political composition
This was the political composition of the supreme court heading into the 2020 election.
| ■ Karen R. Baker | Elected in 2010 | |
| ■ Josephine Hart | Elected in 2012 | |
| ■ Courtney Hudson Goodson | Elected in 2010 | |
| ■ Dan Kemp | Elected in 2016 | |
| ■ Shawn Womack | Elected in 2016 | |
| ■ Rhonda Wood | Elected in 2014 | |
| ■ Robin Wynne | Elected in 2014 |
Selection
Selection of supreme court justices in Arkansas occurs through the nonpartisan election of judges.[1] Judges' terms begin on January 1 of the year after they were elected.[2] In the event of a midterm vacancy, an interim judge is selected by the governor. This appointee will serve until the next general election taking place four or more months after the vacancy occurred.[1]
Qualifications
To serve on this court, a justice must be:
- at least 30 years old;
- of good moral character;
- learned in the law;
- a U.S. citizen and state resident for at least two years; and
- a legal practitioner for at least eight years.[1]
Arkansas does not use judicial nominating commissions to screen or select potential candidates.[3]
Selection of the chief justice
The court's chief justice is selected by voters at large and serves in that capacity for a full eight-year term.[1]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Arkansas," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ Arkansas.gov, "Elected Officials," accessed May 20, 2014
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Arkansas; Judicial Nominating Commissions," archived October 2, 2014
Federal courts:
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Arkansas, Western District of Arkansas • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Arkansas, Western District of Arkansas
State courts:
Arkansas Supreme Court • Arkansas Court of Appeals • Arkansas Circuit Courts • Arkansas District Courts • Arkansas City Courts
State resources:
Courts in Arkansas • Arkansas judicial elections • Judicial selection in Arkansas
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