Threet Is Candidate For Circuit Judge

FAYETTEVILLE — Washington County Prosecutor John Threet is running for circuit court judge in the 4th Judicial District, which includes Washington and Madison counties.

“I’ve always enjoyed doing criminal work; there’s no better feeling in the world than when someone who needs to be held accountable is held accountable,” Threet said.

Profile

John Threet

Washington County Circuit Court

Age: 48

Residency: Fayetteville

Family: Wife Joan; one son and one daughter

Employment: Prosecutor

Education: Ouachita Baptist University, bachelor of arts in business and economics, 1987; University of Arkansas School of Law, juris doctorate, 1990.

Military Experience: None

Political Experience: 4th Judicial District prosecutor, 2007-present

Threet said he would bring a good temperament and experience to the bench as a judge.

“What I look for in a judge is someone who is fair, respectful to all the people involved and even tempered,” Threet said. “You’re holding that judgeship in trust. You’re there to serve the attorneys and all the parties affected by the case.”

Threet hasn't yet decided which of the two open seats he will seek. The openings were created when Kim Smith retired earlier this year and William Storey decided to step down and run for Fayetteville District Court judge. Storey traditionally has handled the bulk of the criminal cases in the district and Smith, a former prosecutor, did more civil cases. Cases of all types are divvied up among the various judges on a percentage basis.

Threet said he’s more comfortable with criminal work, but is also looking forward to hearing civil cases.

“Since 1990, I’ve been in the criminal justice system, I know what it’s like to be on the defense side as well as the prosecution side,” Threet said. “I also know how much work it takes on both sides, what the defense and the prosecutors are going through.”

Threet began as a clerk in the public defender’s office while in law school. He was hired as a deputy public defender in 1990, moved to deputy prosecutor in 1993, became chief deputy prosecutor in 1998 and was elected prosecutor in 2006. He’s a veteran of more than 100 felony jury trials.

“Certainly being a judge is a different role than being a defense attorney or a prosecutor, but I will attempt to be fair to both sides,” Threet said.

Threet was nominated as a candidate for U.S Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, he was appointed to the state’s Coroner Advisory Task Force and the Arkansas Supreme Court Committee on Criminal Jury Instructions. He served as a board member and president of the Arkansas Association of Prosecuting Attorneys.

He is a past president of the Washington County Bar Association, an adjunct professor at the University of Arkansas School of Law, a past instructor at the National Advocacy Center and one of the founders of the Washington/Madison County Drug Court.

Threet serves on the advisory board of the Children’s Safety Center and on the board of the Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Northwest Arkansas. He is a deacon at First Baptist Church in Fayetteville. He is a past president of the Fayetteville Rotary Club and past board member of the Arts Center of the Ozarks.

The nonpartisan judicial election is set for May 20, 2014. The annual salary for circuit judges is $137,000.

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