Governor Will Appoint Interim Fayetteville District Judge

FAYETTEVILLE — Gov. Mike Beebe will appoint an interim judge for Fayetteville District Court to take Rudy Moore’s place.

Moore, who died April 11, spent 22 years on the bench. Moore, 69, was re-elected unopposed to a four-year term in May 2012.

Kit Williams, city attorney, said another judge will have to take on the job, but replacing Moore is likely impossible.

Legal Lingo

Arkansas District Courts

District courts have countywide jurisdiction over misdemeanor, traffic and preliminary felony cases, and civil cases in matters of less than $5,000. A small claims division allows residents to represent themselves to resolve minor civil matters. There are 230 district courts and departments in Arkansas, served by 109 district court judges.

Source: Arkansas District Judges Council

“I think there is no way. When you have someone who has had more than two decades of experience on the bench, that’s irreplaceable,” Williams said Wednesday. “I think he’s probably the longest serving district judge that we’ve ever had and when you’ve been on the bench that long, you’ve pretty much seen it all.”

Williams said Moore’s experience allowed him to be consistent in handing down sentences and handling cases.

“One of the things we try to do in the law is have equal treatment so someone with the kind of great experience he had was in a much better place than any other judge could be in giving equal treatment,” Williams said.

Gary Carson, a lawyer from Fayetteville, has been hearing most cases in the court since earlier this year as Moore battled cancer. Carson was selected by members of the Washington County Bar Association to hear cases.

Clinton “Casey” Jones, city prosecutor, said the court hears more than 15,000 cases a year.

“We just can’t stop the numbers,” Jones said. “It’s like a fire hose.”

Jim Hanna, Arkansas Supreme Court chief justice, told city officials the arrangement should be maintained until the governor makes an appointment.

Jones said he expects the governor will be interested in local input on an appointee.

“We would hope the governor will take into consideration the necessity for efficiency and will listen to those who care about this court as much as Judge Moore did,” Jones said.

The judge Beebe appoints will serve until the next Nonpartisan Judicial General Election in May 2014. The appointee cannot run for the judgeship under Arkansas law, according to Keith Caviness, a staff attorney with the Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts, which oversees the state judicial system.

A new judge will be elected in 2014 and serve the remainder of Moore’s term, which ends in 2016. That elected judge will be eligible to run for a full term in the 2016 election, according to Caviness. The term for district judges is four years.

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