Jay Martin running as ‘outsider’ for Supreme Court Chief Justice

Attorney Jay Martin hopes not serving on the Arkansas Supreme Court will be a quality that voters are looking for in their next Chief Justice.

The former North Little Rock State Representative (2003-2006) and a Democratic candidate for Governor in 2020 made it a four-person race to lead the state’s high court when he filed in November. Chief Justice John Dan Kemp is not seeking re-election.

“Chief Justice John Dan Kemp was an outsider to the court, and he came on the court as Chief Justice having not been on the court and I think he has done a good job. He’s retiring and I want to come in very much like he did as an outsider to the court,” Martin said.

He is running against three sitting Supreme Court justices – Justice Karen Baker, Justice Barbara Webb, and Justice Rhonda Wood – all of whom will still be on the bench if they lose the race. The nonpartisan judicial election will be March 5, 2024.

“I’ve never tried to be a career justice on the court. I think we need an outsider just as Justice Kemp has been because I think that’s important for the court, the new blood hopefully in a new direction and to do things that would be helpful and beneficial to the people of Arkansas,” he added.

Martin, who appeared on this week’s Capitol View program, wants to utilize his private practice skills and faith-based service as a foundation for leading the court. He’s also worried about threats to the state and federal constitutions.

“I have practiced law for 27 years. I’ve led my law firm since 2006 as a managing partner, and I enjoy that. I’m also a volunteer pastor in the inner city and I have a family, a wife, kids, things I love, but I’m concerned about our country. I’m concerned about our state. I’m really concerned about the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and I think the Chief Justice is a perfect role to represent the Arkansas Judicial Branch,” Martin said.

The Chief Justice candidate said he has concerns about access to legal representation, something he’s hearing from judges around the state. Public safety at courthouses is another pressing issue that Martin said he wants to address.

“I’m concerned about access to courts. More and more people are representing themselves. I’m concerned about the pro bono hours that attorneys provide. I think Arkansas could lead the country in providing those hours. I’m concerned about our rural courts. I want to lead the way in hopefully making all of our courts in every county safe,” he said.

You can watch Martin’s full interview in the video below.