Arkansas intermediate appellate court elections, 2026
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The terms of two Arkansas intermediate appellate court judges will expire on December 31, 2026. The two seats are up for nonpartisan election on March 3, 2026. A runoff election is scheduled for November 3, 2026.
Judges with expiring terms
- This is a list of the judges who must stand for nonpartisan election in 2026 in order to remain on the bench. Judges may choose not to stand for election. The list is subject to change if judges retire or are appointed.
Candidates and results
Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:
- Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
- Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies
District 2, Position 1
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
General election for Arkansas Court of Appeals District 2 Position 1
Incumbent Bart Virden is running in the general election for Arkansas Court of Appeals District 2 Position 1 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Bart Virden (Nonpartisan) | |
| ||||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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District 3, Position 1
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
General election for Arkansas Court of Appeals District 3 Position 1
Sarah Capp is running in the general election for Arkansas Court of Appeals District 3 Position 1 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Sarah Capp (Nonpartisan) | |
| ||||
| = 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. | ||||
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Arkansas
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
Selection
There 12 judges on the Arkansas Court of Appeals are selected through nonpartisan elections. They compete in nonpartisan general elections—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 November general election.[1]
The winners are elected to eight-year terms. Sitting judges must run for re-election at the expiration of their terms.[2]
Qualifications
To serve on this court, a judge must be:[3]
- licensed to practice law in Arkansas for at least eight years;
- a qualified elector within the geographic area from which chosen.
Chief judge
The chief judge is appointed by the chief justice of the supreme court and serves in that capacity for four years.[4]
Vacancies
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.[5]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Arkansas Judiciary, "Court Structure, " accessed March 27, 2023
- ↑ Justia, "Arkansas Constitution - Amendment 80 - Qualifications of justices and judges.," accessed March 27, 2023
- ↑ Arkansas Judiciary, "Court of Appeals," accessed April 15, 2025
- ↑ Justia, "2020 Arkansas Code Title 16 - Practice, Procedure, And Courts Subtitle 2 - Courts and Court Officers Chapter 12 - Court Of Appeals Subchapter 1 - General Provisions § 16-12-105. Chief Judge," accessed March 27, 2023
- ↑ Brennan Center for Justice, "Judicial Selection: An Interactive Map," accessed March 23, 2023
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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