Mieka Hatcher joins crowded field seeking new Circuit Court judge’s seat
by October 27, 2019 5:24 pm 1,601 views
Washington County prosecutor Mieka Hatcher has announced her candidacy for Circuit Court Judge of the new 8th Division of the Fourth Judicial Circuit, serving both Washington and Madison counties.
Hatcher, 48, is the fifth Fayetteville lawyer to announce a campaign for the new judgeship, joining Brian Hogue, Tim Snively, Conrad Odom and Diane Warren. State legislators created the new position, which has been approved to hear juvenile and family cases, because of the population growth in the district. The Fourth Judicial Circuit now has seven circuit judges.
A nonpartisan election for the eighth judgeship is scheduled for March 3, 2020. The winner of the election will take office on January 1, 2021.
In a statement, Hatcher said she is seeking the judgeship because she believes it should be filled by an attorney with the “experience and perspective to best handle the complex issues associated with delinquency and dependent neglect cases.”
Hatcher began her prosecutorial career in Benton County Juvenile Court in 1997. She moved to the Washington County prosecutor’s office in 1998, where she is currently the chief deputy prosecutor.
She is a past president of the Washington County Bar Association and currently chairs the Memorial Committee. A graduate of the FBI Citizens Academy, Hatcher is also a member of the Arkansas Bar Association, the Arkansas Prosecuting Attorney’s Association, the National District Attorney’s Association, the Multi-Disciplinary Team and the NorthWest Arkansas Community College (NWACC) Cyber Crime Advisory Board.
This summer, Hatcher facilitated the inaugural training seminar of the National Child Protection Task Force, hosting agents from numerous national, local and state law enforcement agencies.
For over 10 years, Hatcher has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Arkansas School of Law, teaching trial advocacy. She is a past president and has been a member of The Rotary Club of Fayetteville for 21 years, receiving the Service Above Self Award in 2006.
She is married to Rudy Hatcher and they have two grown children, Marda and Rafe, both of whom graduated from Fayetteville High School. Marda currently works as an IT manager for Procter & Gamble, and Rafe is a 2/C Midshipman at the United States Naval Academy.