The Supremes I

For Rhonda Wood for top court seat

Fortunately for Arkansans, this year’s crop of judicial candidates seems a good one—maybe even a great one. Figuring out who to endorse in a couple of these races is a hard go. Remember when voters used to groan about the lack of likable, knowledgeable, affable, experienced people on the ballot? Remember choosing the lesser of two evils? This coming Super Tuesday (March 5), it’s not so much the case here. At least for the judge/justice races.

There is a lot of good to say about the candidates running for chief justice of the state Supreme Court, because all of them have gobs of experience at what they do. After all, three sitting justices and a preacher with legislative experience are running.

It sounds like a joke—three Arkansas justices and a preacher walk into a bar—but it’s not. Most of these folks would do a good job.

Which candidate might do a great job?

We have to go with Rhonda Wood, currently one of those Supreme Court justices.

She seems about to burst with energy. If she doesn’t solve a problem soon, she’ll go nuts! Which you have to expect from somebody who went to law school at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with four small kids at home. And then get the top score on the Arkansas bar exam.

That was many years ago, in those years when she was the associate editor for her Law Review colleagues and the pro bono director of the Student Bar Association, when she wasn’t being mentioned with the Arkansas Business “Forty Under 40” types, and getting Law Graduate of the Year honors, and—ho hum—judicial newcomer and community leader awards. In her home office, surely one whole wall has to be set aside for all the honors, awards and accolades.

But even seeing that wall might not prepare you for sitting in the same room with her. If not for certain very good rules in the books, she might want to run for Ledge and Congress this cycle, too, in her down time. She ticks off a list of committees that she serves/served on, ticks off a list of ways the world can be different—and not only the legal world—and then will give you a dissertation on technology improvements that should help the average Arkie better access the courts. Some of the tech stuff we actually understand.

She doesn’t appear to be a 8:30 a.m.4:30 p.m. type of person, much less a 8:30-4:30 type of judge. “I put in the time off the bench,” she told us. And to see everything that she plans, we refer you to her website: woodforjustice/ com. And if you compliment her website, just know:

She created it.

As for judicial philosophy, which is important to know in judicial races (because candidates aren’t really supposed to talk policy, lest that policy wind up before them in court), she says she’s a conservative judge, but stresses that’s not the same as having a conservative political philosophy.

“We don’t want conservative politicians on the bench,” she told us. “We don’t want activist judges no matter their politics. We want no activist judges when it comes to interpreting the law.”

Hear, hear.

She promises to “conservatively follow my role as a judge.” Or as the old cliche puts it: Judges are there to call balls and strikes, not make the plays.

Arkansas can hardly go wrong in this race. The candidates prove that this state has a good bench of players on the, well, bench. And citizens should feel good—and safe—knowing that these people are around to protect their rights/property/livelihoods.

But just for her energy alone, the edge should go to Rhonda Wood for chief justice.

Also, electing Rhonda Wood as chief justice might do the Arkansas economy good. Because should she get elected . . . .

The courts are going to have to hire more clerks to keep up with her.