Arkansas
Arkansas Supreme Court By The Numbers:
Justice
Former prosecutor
Former public defender
Vacancy
- 7 Total seats
- 1 Current vacancy
- 2 Prosecutors
- 1 Public Defender (or other indigent defense experience)
- 0 Civil Rights Lawyers
How Members of the Arkansas Supreme Court are Selected:
Nonpartisan Election
Justices serve eight-year terms and are selected through nonpartisan primaries. If no candidate garners a majority of the vote, the top two candidates compete in a runoff during the general election. Sitting justices are required to run for re-election at the expiration of their terms. Interim selections to fill vacancies that occur between elections are made by governor appointment.
Selection method sources:
Ballotpedia, Judicial Election Methods By State; Brennan Center for Justice, Judicial Selection: An Interactive Map