Starting Sept. 1, Harrison to lead 12-member state appellate court

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas Court of Appeals Judge Brandon Harrison was tapped Friday to serve a fouryear term as the chief judge of the 12-member appellate court, according to a news release from the state judiciary.

The Court of Appeals is the second-highest court in Arkansas. The court ranks below the Arkansas Supreme Court, whose chief justice, Dan Kemp, appointed Harrison to the role of chief judge.

Harrison will take over the role from current Chief Judge Rita Gruber, who was appointed to her own fouryear term in 2016. Harrison will assume the new role, which includes being in charge of administrative duties for the court, on Sept. 1.

“I thank Judge Gruber for

her service as chief judge and I look forward to working with Judge Harrison during his term as chief,” Kemp said Friday.

Harrison, who is from Fort Smith, was first elected to the court in 2012 as one of two judges from the Court of Appeals’ 4th District, which includes much of western Arkansas. He was reelected to a second eight-year term this spring without opposition.

Chief judges on the Court of Appeals earn an annual salary of $179,168 a year, which is set by the Independent Citizens Commission. The other judges on the court earn $176,476 a year.

Gruber, who has served on the Court of Appeals since 2009, represents the court’s 6th District in central Arkansas, including Little Rock. Her current term expires in 2025.

Gruber was appointed by then-Chief Justice Howard Brill in 2016. Her appointment was made at the advice of Kemp, who at the time was the chief justice-elect.

Prior to being elected to the Court of Appeals, Harrison worked in private practice and as a clerk for the U.S. District Judge D.P. Marshall Jr in the Eastern District of Arkansas. The Fort Smith native is a graduate of the University of Arkansas School of Law.

Neither Harrison nor Gruber could be reached for comment at their chambers Friday.