Former U.S. Attorney Chris Thyer to run for Second Judicial District seat

Former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, Chris Thyer, will seek to become the Division 3 circuit judge in the Second Judicial District. The seat is currently held by Brent Davis, who announced his retirement this week.

Judicial elections in Arkansas are non-partisan and the election will be held in conjunction with the partisan preferential primaries Tuesday, March 3, 2020.

“It has been my distinct honor to serve the citizens of the Second Judicial District as both an elected member of the Arkansas House of Representatives and as United States Attorney. While I truly believe we have made great strides together, I also believe there is much work to do,” Thyer said.

“Judge Davis has been and remains a credit to the bench and bar. I salute his years of service to our community as both a prosecutor and judge. He is truly a titan in the legal community. However, when he told me he was retiring, I knew it was time for me to answer the call to service once again,” Thyer said.

Thyer was nominated to be the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District on December 1, 2010, and he was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate three weeks later. Thyer served until he resigned March 10, 2017.

“Our laws and our law enforcement agencies are meant to do two things: to allow citizens of the United States to fully realize the pursuit of peace and prosperity and to arrest and prosecute those who criminally interfere with those freedoms,” he said.

“I have seen communities where drugs and violence have stolen even the freedom to go for a walk or play in a park because of the brazenness of violent drug dealers. For more than six years I have had the privilege of working with local, state and federal law enforcement officers and prosecutors to fight these violent drug dealers,” Thyer said.