Skip Mooney to seek judicial seat in Northeast Arkansas
by June 3, 2019 3:35 pm 1,251 views
Attorney Skip Mooney, Jr. will seek the circuit court position for division 5 of the Second Judicial Circuit. The court jurisdiction consists of Clay, Craighead, Poinsett, Greene, Crittenden and Mississippi counties.
Tom Young previously announced for the Second Judicial Circuit, Division 5 seat, which is held by retiring Judge Ralph Wilson.
“After 36 years of private practice and much prayerful consideration, my family and I have decided that the timing is right for me to take the next step in public service and announce my candidacy for Circuit Judge,” Mooney said. “The recent passing of my father and long-time law partner, Skip Mooney, Sr., and the impending retirement of several sitting judges from the current circuit bench were among several factors that I have considered in coming to this point. Even then, this is not a decision that we take lightly due to the demands of my current caseload, the investment required to run a judicial campaign and the traveling time required of an elected circuit judge.”
Mooney has practiced in most all areas of the law before the Arkansas Supreme Court, the federal district courts, in addition to many state circuit and district courts. He has appeared before the Arkansas State Medical Board, Arkansas State Pharmacy Board, Arkansas State Board of Nursing, Arkansas Social Work Licensing Board, the Arkansas Real Estate Commission and multiple local governmental entities.
In addition, Mooney has provided professional CLE ethical training to attorneys on behalf of the Arkansas Bar Association (ABA), of which he has been a member of since starting his law practice.
He is a member of the Craighead County Bar Association, and during his tenure as president, the organization was honored as the “Outstanding Bar Association” by the ABA. In 2017, Mooney was appointed as a board member to the ARJLAP Foundation that oversees the funding for the Arkansas Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program that was created by the Arkansas Supreme Court to provide mental health and substance abuse services to the legal community. In 2008, Mooney established Out of the Dark Inc., a grassroots drug intervention organization, as a response to five local youths overdosing on heroin.
“After reading the article in … I just started talking privately about these issues with my friends and I was told not to rock the boat because it would hurt my legal career,” Mooney said. “Then, I started asking questions about these problems publicly and I didn’t like any of the answers I received. The ugly truth was that most people were living in denial about these problems just hoping that it would eventually go away. However, the resulting collateral damage has now become such a huge burden, especially in our judicial sector, and I don’t think anybody really believes in continuing with the revolving door approach anymore. I know that there is a better way to address these issues, and I hope that the public will grant me the opportunity, as a circuit judge, to be part of the solution.”
Mooney graduated from Jonesboro High School, Arkansas State University and the University of Arkansas School of Law in Fayetteville. He practiced in Jonesboro with his father, Charles “Skip” Mooney, Sr., and the late Joe C. Boone, Jr. at Mooney & Boone. He has been married for the past 34 years to his wife, Jill.