Arkansas Supreme Court, Position 1
JAY MARTIN
What distinguishes you from your election opponents?
The next Chief Justice must be a leader, and I am the right, strong leader. Like when our current Chief Justice, John Dan Kemp assumed leadership, I am not a member of the Supreme Court, and it is this outsider status that is needed in the next Chief Justice, since our current one is retiring. I am committed to making the Court work for all Arkansans, and to simply not defend the status quo, when changes are desperately needed. After Co-vid, there are a back-log of cases, we have on-going issues with all our county courthouses and I will work with the other six (6) justices and other stakeholders to make our Supreme Court the best in the United States. The next Chief Justice must also be well-versed in the law. As an attorney for twenty-seven years, I have handled over 5,000 cases in thirty-eight substantive areas of the law. I have the expertise to help make our legal precedents clear and concise, which is needed not only for attorneys, but for business people trying to make decisions, as well as all Arkansans.
How would you summarize the philosophy of jurisprudence that would guide your decisions on the bench?
I am running to defend the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Judges should not legislate from the bench or trade votes as appellate judges. If we abandon clear legal standards in favor of a judge’s mere opinion, we create an environment where justice is arbitrary and equality under the law is non-existent. Some have called this phenomenon the “tyranny of the black robe.” To avoid this, we must elect judges who will follow their oath to uphold the Constitution, and to be bound by the Bill of Rights and the founding documents. The only way to accomplish adherence to the Constitution is to strictly construe the Constitution, and to find unconstitutional any statute that violates the Constitution. Without this, the confidence of “We, the People” suffers and we risk losing freedoms that were gained at the price of soldier’s blood.
If you are elected, what changes
or improvements will you prioritize for the court?
While appellate courts are not as accessible to the public as district or even circuit courts, we must take the lead in restoring faith in the judiciary, taking the Court to them. As Chief Justice, we will: 1. make the activities of the Court and the administration of justice known to the public in planned town hall-style meetings in all twenty-four (24) judicial districts; 2. Work with each county bar association to involve elementary, junior high and high school students in acts of service during law week and the furthering of “Middle School Law School” which I began several years ago to introduce middle school students interested in becoming lawyers, access to the Supreme Court (with a tour of the Arkansas Judiciary); and 3. Begin a working group with District and Circuit Judges and county officials to address courthouse safety, technology and resources for court personnel, judges and the public, particularly in underfunded counties.
What recent Arkansas Supreme Court or U.S. Supreme Court rulings do you find especially significant, and why?
I do not want to comment on cases decided by these courts since relevant portions of the decisions may come before me.
BARBARA WOMACK WEBB What distinguishes you from your election opponents?
In addition to my over four decades of courtroom experience, I have been responsible for managing large staffs and budgets. As Chief Administrative Law Judge at the Arkansas Workers’ Compensation Commission, I oversaw the other administrative law judges and their caseloads. As CEO of a state agency, I managed the daily operations of over 100 employees and was responsible for the agency’s budget.
As an elected Prosecuting Attorney, I took over an office after my predecessor was investigated and later convicted of running it as a criminal enterprise. I was responsible for managing three separate offices with three quorum courts, resulting in hundreds of jury trials and the elimination of over 500 meth labs.
How would you summarize the philosophy of jurisprudence that would guide your decisions on the bench?
I am a common-sense conservative who believes in the separation of powers. The Courts must “stay in their lane” and exercise judicial restraint. The Courts must not legislate from the bench. Judges are not policy-makers but interpreters of the law and protectors of our Constitution. When interpreting the Constitution and statutory law, the Court should give the plain and unambiguous words their obvious, common meaning. I am a strong defender of originalist interpretation and a critic of judicial invention or “court-made” law.
If you are elected, what changes or improvements will you prioritize for the court?
Our court needs a strong leader, and the voters are excited about my plan and vision for the court’s future.
• We must restore trust and confidence in the Judicial system by upholding the rule of law and enforcing the Constitution. With hard work, determination, teamwork, and trustworthiness, I have successfully cleaned up corruption in a broken judicial system while restoring constitutional rights to criminal defendants and victims of crime.
• We must modernize the Judicial system with new technology. New technology brings transparency, accountability, and efficiency with new resources, such as increased access to court interpreters and video-testimony, and electronic notification of upcoming court dates.
• We must make our courts more accessible to all citizens. We must work together to find ways to provide affordable legal representation to those who cannot afford an attorney or in locations where attorneys are not available. We must clean up the backlogs that keep our defendants waiting in jail for trial and victims for their day of justice.
What recent Arkansas Supreme Court or Supreme Court rulings do you find especially significant and why?
The most significant recent Supreme Court decision is Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Org. This landmark decision overruled both Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. It returned to the states the power to regulate abortions.
The most significant recent Arkansas Supreme Court decision is Ark. Dep’t of Education v. Jackson. The majority of the Court held that the Arkansas legislature followed the Arkansas Constitution in enacting the emergency provisions to the LEARNS Act. The Court recognized the substantial public interest in addressing the issue and noted that if the Circuit’s Court Order stands, countless actions could be brought due to the decades-long process of both the House and Senate for voting on emergency clauses. Countless State actions made in reliance on effective emergency clauses would be cast in doubt and potentially subjected to collateral attacks.
RHONDA WOOD What distinguishes you from your election opponents?
I am in my second term as a Justice on the Supreme Court of Arkansas. I alone have the depth and breadth of experience as a leader in the judiciary. I have been a judge for 18 years. I was a trial judge for six years, a Court of Appeals judge for two years, and I am in my tenth year on the Supreme Court. This experience means I understand the immense responsibility of a Chief Justice but also the opportunity for Arkansas. I am the only candidate who has been a leader in the court system. I have led countless judicial committees, task forces and state-wide initiatives to improve the justice system for the last eighteen years. A Chief Justice must be one who has shown a commitment to leadership and improving the court system for all Arkansans. I have done that continuously for eighteen years.
How would you summarize the philosophy of jurisprudence that would guide your decisions on the bench?
I have taken a oath to support our state and U.S. Constitution five times as a judge. The constitution always comes first, and I believe my job as a Justice is to make certain every citizen receives the benefits of their constitutional rights and that the legislature and the executive branch act constitutionally. I also believe the court must not legislate or attempt to create laws. The court cannot be result oriented by must let the constitution always be our guide.
If you are elected, what changes or improvements will you prioritize for the court?
I have set out my priorities fully on my website at www.woodforjustice.com. My priority will be to simplify the court system and make it more citizen oriented. Our rules need to be in plain language that ordinary citizens can understand, and I plan to create a task force as Chief Justice to undertake this review. I have spent eighteen years working with juvenile justice issues and plan to work tirelessly on reform in this area which has seen a dramatic shift in violent crime in the last few years. I also want to work with judges to implement innovative options for alternative court appearances for working families and work with both law schools to further rural law practice outreach.
What recent Arkansas Supreme Court or Supreme Court rulings do you find especially significant and why?
I would not select one case over another. Every case the Supreme Court of Arkansas decides is the most important case to those involved. I think its vital as a Justice we remember this and treat every case equally important. Some are higher profile or more politically meaningful, but each case matters.