Stewart Appointed District Judge in Fayetteville

David Stewart has been appointed by the governor to replace Rudy Moore as Fayetteville District Judge.
David Stewart has been appointed by the governor to replace Rudy Moore as Fayetteville District Judge.

FAYETTEVILLE — Gov. Mike Beebe has appointed David Stewart interim Fayetteville District Court judge to replace Rudy Moore.

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

Stewart recently retired as executive director of the state Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission, an independent agency that investigates complaints alleging misconduct or wrongdoing by any of the state’s 400 judges. The commission also handles disability matters involving judges.

Stewart was a district court judge in Little Rock, a chief deputy in the Little Rock city attorney’s office and a University of Arkansas general counsel.

“He’s level-headed. He’s fair-minded. And, he certainly knows the law,” Washington County Circuit Judge William Storey said of Stewart on Thursday. “He’ll be a fine judge.”

Stewart said he’s excited to be a judge again.

“I just retired in December and moved back to Fayetteville after working for a number of years in Little Rock,” Stewart said. “This is what I used to do, and I’m looking forward to it.”

Stewart will be sworn in at 1:30 p.m. Monday in the Fayetteville District Courtroom.

Stewart’s appointment expires Dec. 31, 2014, when a newly elected judge will take over. Stewart will not be eligible to run for the position according to state law.

The next Nonpartisan Judicial General Election is in May 2014. The judge selected in that election will finish Moore’s term and will be eligible to run for a full term in the 2016 election, according to Keith Caviness, a staff attorney with the Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts, which oversees the state judicial system. The term for district judges is four years.

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

The court hears more than 15,000 cases a year.

Upcoming Events