There Goes the Judge

We hear Washington County is about to have a shake-up of chancery court judges.

Both of the county’s chancellors are considering retirement. Division II Judge John Lineberger plans to retire at the end of the year, and rumors are circulating that Division 1 Judge Thomas Butt may retire soon because of health reasons. Butt’s term doesn’t expire for another two years.

When March 26 rolls around, Butt, 82, will have been on the bench for 50 years. We hear he plans to continue serving as judge until that time, but his retirement will be announced soon.

Mark Lindsay, a Fayetteville lawyer, says he’s going to run for the judgeship that’s being vacated by Lineberger. We hear Lindsay may get a boost for the other position, though, if he is appointed by Gov. Mike Huckabee to fill out Butt’s term for the rest of the year. If that happens, Lindsay would then have to run in November and be elected to fill out the remaining two years of Butt’s term.

“I’ve been a lawyer for 20 years,” Lindsay says. “To be a judge is just the top position in the profession. … I feel like this [the election] is what I’ve been training for for the last 20 years. Now is the right time for me to do that.”

Since 1985, Lindsay has served as a municipal judge in West Fork.