Supreme Court Chief Justice race neck-and-neck; Justice Hudson wins open seat

There will be a run-off for the Chief Justice seat on the Arkansas Supreme Court, but the two candidates advancing wasn’t clear until late on election night. A second Supreme Court position was decided on Tuesday (March 5).

Justices Karen Baker, Barbara Webb and Rhonda Wood traded places throughout the night in the top three spots for the state Supreme Court Chief Justice role. Unofficial results from the Secretary of State’s website had Baker in the lead with 86,239 votes to Wood’s 83,438 and Webb’s 82,065. Attorney Jay Martin was in fourth place with 65,364 votes.

If the results stand, the top two vote-getters – Baker and Wood – will face each other in a general election run-off on Nov. 5. The candidates were vying to replace Chief Justice John Dan Kemp, who is retiring.

Webb will remain on the court in her Associate Justice position. The loser of the eventual run-off will also continue to serve on the state’s high court.

The winner of the November run-off will have to vacate her position in January 2025 and allow Gov. Sarah Sanders to appoint a replacement. The result of the run-off will also make history in Arkansas as the eventual winner will have the distinction of being the first elected female Chief Justice on the Arkansas Supreme Court.

In the Position 2 race on the Arkansas Supreme Court, Justice Courtney Hudson defeated Judge Carlton Jones 185,796 to 120,447. Hudson will have to vacate her existing seat on the Supreme Court in January and Gov. Sanders will appoint a successor for that seat.

Hudson and Jones were running to fill the vacancy created by the late Justice Robin Wynne, who died in 2023. Justice Cody Hiland was appointed by Gov. Sanders to fill out his term and could be a candidate to fill one of the two seats that Sanders will fill.