A state court of last resort / Established 1912

Supreme Court of Arkansas

Little Rock · A court of last resort in Arkansas.

The Supreme Court of Arkansas is the highest court in Arkansas. Its justices are chosen by nonpartisan election. This page lists every justice to serve on the court, current and former, with when they joined the bench and whom they succeeded.

Justices in history

Currently serving

Nonpartisan

Selection

8-yr

Term

Current bench verified against the court’s official roster, 2026-07-02.

Current justices

Former justices

Justice	Years
Josephine L. Hart	2013
Courtney Hudson Goodson	2011
Elana Cunningham Wills	2008–2010
Paul E. Danielson	2007
Jim Gunter	2005–2012
Betty Dickey	2004–2006
Jimm Hannah	2001–2015
W. H. Arnold	1997–2004
Annabelle Clinton Imber	1997–2009
Lavenski R. Smith	1997–2004
Ray Thornton	1997–2004
Bradley D. Jesson	1995–1996
Robert L. Brown	1991–2012
Donald L. Corbin	1991–2014
Dale Price	1990–1990
Otis H. Turner	1990–1990
Tom Glaze	1987–2008
Jack Holt Jr.	1985–1995
William David Newbern	1985–1998
Robert D. Dudley	1981–1996
Steele Hays	1981–1994
Richard B. Adkisson	1980–1984
Richard L. Mays	1980–1980
John I. Purtle	1979–1989
Darrell Hickman	1977–1990
George Howard Jr.	1977–1978
Elsijane Trimble Roy	1975–1977
Lyle Brown	1967–1975
Conley Byrd	1967–1980
John Albert Fogleman	1967–1980
J Fred Jones	1967–1977
Henry Woods	1967–1974
Hugh Martin Bland	1966–1967
Osro Cobb	1965–1966
Neil Bohlinger	1961–1962
James Douglas Johnson	1959–1966
Carleton Harris	1957–1980
Lee Seamster	1955–1956
Sam Robinson	1951–1965
Paul Ward	1951–1968
Edwin Dunaway	1949–1950
Robert A. Leflar	1949–1950
George Rose Smith	1949–1987
Minor W. Millwee	1945–1958
Ed F. McFaddin	1943–1966
R W. Robins	1943–1949
J Seaborn Holt	1938–1983
Griffin Smith	1937–1955
Edgar L. McHaney	1927–1948
Frank G. Smith	1912–1949

How a justice reaches this court. Justices of the Supreme Court of Arkansas are chosen in nonpartisan elections to 8-year terms. Switched from partisan to nonpartisan judicial elections under Amendment 80, effective 2001. Selection methods vary by jurisdiction and have changed over time; this page reflects the court’s current method (source: National Center for State Courts). Open any justice to see their tenure and whom they succeeded.

Source: Current roster: Arkansas Judiciary — Supreme Court Justices (arcourts.gov) and CourtListener / Free Law Project (bulk data); selection method from the National Center for State Courts. Data as of 2026-07-02 (official roster); historical bench 2026-03-31 (CourtListener bulk snapshot). Verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).