Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Copeland Running For District Judge
FAYETTEVILLE — Casey D. Copeland has announced he’s running for Washington County District Court Judge, Division 2, in the March 1 non-partisan judicial election.
“Instead of the five local District Courts we’ve had in the past, which were selected in local elections, we will have four county- wide District Court Judges,” Copeland said in a Facebook post announcing his candidacy. “I am running for one of those seats, and I’ll need your votes in Fayetteville, Springdale, Johnson, Tontitown, Farmington, Prairie Grove, West Fork, Elkins, Lincoln, Greenland, Gosh en, Win slow, and all throughout the county.”
Division 2 will cover western Washington County.
Copeland, 38, his wife, Cohen, and three sons, live in Prairie Grove. He is a native of Washington County and a graduate of the University of Arkansas and the University of Arkansas School of Law.
Copeland represents children in dependency-neglect cases in Sebastian County. Prior to serving in this role, Copeland operated a legal practice in Prairie Grove handling a wide variety of matters including family law, business disputes, and property issues.
Copeland has served on the Prairie Grove City Council the last four years. Other activities include involvement in Cub Scout leadership and youth sports. Before law school, Copeland served two terms as a Washington County Justice of the Peace between 1999 and 2002. Copeland also recently served a term in the Arkansas Bar Association’s 2014-2015 House of Delegates.
Graham Nations, currently the Prairie Grove District judge, recently announced he’s running for the Washington County District Court Judge, Division 2, position.
Judicial elections are nonpartisan. District Judges are paid $140,000 per year.
The filing period with the Arkansas Secretary of State’s Office for those paying a filing fee ended Nov. 11. The filing period for those filing by petition has already closed.
The change in the number of district judges is due to Washington County district courts coming under state control in January 2017.