NWA EDITORIAL: Order in the courts

Endorsements in the 2020 judicial election

It's not quite as exclusive an experience as happens ever four years in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, but Arkansans today will finally get their opportunity to act after weeks and months of political messaging by candidates and the parties.

Early voting for the March 3 primary opens today and will continue at various locations until March 2, the day before the state's preferential primary and its judicial and school elections. Local residents who registered to vote by Feb. 3 are eligible to cast their ballot in this first round of the 2020 election season.

In other words, the time has come to put your vote where your mouth has been.

Notice the description of the election: preferential primary, the state's judicial elections and local school board elections. Although all ballots are cast at whatever voting center a voter chooses, technically speaking there are three kinds of elections today. The primaries will pick the Republican and Democratic nominees who will move on to a place on the Nov. 3 General Election. But in the judicial and school board races, voters will indeed make final decisions in March as to who will take office.

Today, we offer our endorsements in three contested judicial races -- one in Benton County, the other two affecting judgeships in the judicial district covering Washington and Madison counties. Circuit judges, once elected, serve for six years before having to seek re-election.

FOURTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT

(Washington and Madison counties)

Division 8

The Arkansas Legislature in its last session created a new judgeship to help spread the growing caseload of this two-county circuit. The person elected will preside over the eighth courtroom serving the circuit.

Once elected, most judges remain on the bench until they step down. Few face serious challengers when they file for reelection, and most don't face challengers at all. So opportunities for local attorneys to toss their hats into a contest for a open judgeship are few and far between.

In this new division, the open seat has sparked an almost unheard of number -- five -- of candidates for the post, which will become the circuit's second judge assigned to hear juvenile cases. The new judgeship will also be focused on family law matters. It's noteworthy, however, that under Arkansas' judicial structure, all circuit judges hold authority to hear any type of case assigned to them.

The five candidates in Division 8 are Mieka Hatcher, Brian Hogue, Conrad Odom, Tim Snively and Diane Warren. They represent an embarrassment of riches for the voters because all five bring strong qualities and experience. We're fairly convinced the voters of the Fourth Judicial Circuit ultimately cannot go wrong, given the quality of these candidates.

But voters get a single vote and, with regard to our endorsements, we hold ourselves to that standard, too.

So, after our interviews and monitoring the forums and other campaign resources, we recommend Conrad Odom to the voters.

Odom, who has practiced law here for 28 years, has a history of public service as a member of Fayetteville's City Council and the city's Planning Commission. He's stepped up to fill a vacated post on the Fayetteville School Board. And devotes himself in leadership of a Boy Scout troop in downtown Fayetteville.

In discussing the judicial role, Odom frankly seems like exactly the kind of attorney who would end up being a judge in anyone's hometown. Well respected and genial, he nonetheless displays the kind of integrity and devotion we think will be the right balance for a sitting judge -- compassionate but firm, knowledgeable in the law and concerned not just about what's happening within his courtroom, but within the community he serves.

Odom said will pursue a calendar docketing system to make efficient use of everyone's time in court and, he hopes, will keep people from having to sit around waiting. He also discussed exploring whether an occasional night court session would help people who need to appear before him.

In all likelihood, this five-person race will result in a runoff. Unfortunately, under Arkansas law, that will mean the two top vote-getters will have to wait until November for a final decision from voters. If a runoff is necessary, we hope Odom becomes one of the top two entering the fall campaign.

Division 3

In this division, Fourth Circuit voters actually have a contest between a longtime judge, Stacey Zimmerman, and a challenger, Robert L. Depper III. It's certainly not the first time Zimmerman has faced a challenger, but she's been presiding over juvenile court for more than 20 years.

We recommend voters stick with Zimmerman, in part because there is some wisdom in not causing too much disruption to the juvenile system that's been working. As noted above, juvenile cases will be spread over two judges -- this division and the new Division 8 -- come 2021. Mixing a brand new judge with Zimmerman will, we think, create the right mix of stability and new ideas.

Certainly, Depper and others have been critical of what we'd call inefficiencies in the way Zimmerman runs her court. We certainly think, and hope, that the addition of the second judge will lighten the load Zimmerman's court has carried for years and help things run better. Few would deny Zimmerman's passion for her role in adjudicating the cases of young people, in helping children find their way through challenging circumstances. A less-crowded docket, we think, will make accomplishing her goal easier.

19TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, WEST

(Benton County)

Division 7

Benton County is getting a new judgeship, too. Come 2021, the circuit will add a seventh judge to handle a burgeoning number of cases. Unlike in the Fourth Judicial District, the specifics of which kinds of cases the new judge in the 19th Circuit-West will handle remain to be determined. Circuit judges in Arkansas, after all, are empowered to hear all civil and criminal cases and the caseload will be split among judges based on an administrative plan developed by the current judges.

Christine Howard and Tony Noblin are vying to become Benton County's newest judge, starting in 2021.

We recommend Noblin, an attorney for 13 years who has a wealth of other experiences, too. An Air Force veteran, he was a Rogers police officer for seven years, giving him opportunities to testify in court hearings. He later put himself through college and law school and has handled a wide variety of cases. The breadth of his experience, in our view, gives him an edge in a race with two talented candidates.

Commentary on 02/18/2020

Upcoming Events