ARKANSAS, USA — Arkansas history was made on Nov. 4 after the state elected its first woman to the Arkansas Supreme Court chief justice position, according to the Associated Press.
In the nonpartisan runoff, Arkansans elected Justice Karen Baker over Justice Rhonda Wood.
Baker has been on the court as an associate justice since 2011. She has previous experience as an associate judge on the Arkansas Court of Appeals and as a circuit, chancery, and juvenile judge at the 20th Judicial District.
The close race between Wood and Baker was likely defined by the court's split decision on the Arkansas abortion amendment measure. Wood delivered the 4-3 majority opinion that upheld the state's rejection of signature petitions that would have put the abortion initiative on the ballot.
Baker, who wrote the dissenting opinion, claimed the initiative was treated differently than others vying to be put on the November ballot.
"Even a cursory review of how the present ballot initiative has progressed since its inception demonstrates that both the respondent and the majority have treated it differently for the sole purpose of preventing the people from voting on this issue," Baker said.
Before this opinion was issued in August 2023, Baker and Wood were nearly neck and neck in the March primary. Baker received 27% of the votes, while Wood received 26%.
However, Wood gained traction with Republican voters in Arkansas after receiving support from Sen. Tom Cotton and Gov. Sanders. Wood also had the upper hand by raising over $254,000 in campaign funds, while Baker raised $21,000.
Although the court is intended to be nonpartisan, Republican-backed justices hold a 4-3 majority on the court. Baker's win will now leave two vacant positions on the court after Justice Courtney Hudson was reelected to a new position on the court in March.
The Republican-backed majority is likely to increase as Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is required to appoint two new justices to fill Baker's and Hudson's previous positions.
Baker will replace outgoing Chief Justice Dan Kemp for an eight-year term.
Watch 5NEWS on YouTube.
Download the 5NEWS app on your smartphone:
Stream 5NEWS 24/7 on the 5+ app: How to watch the 5+ app on your streaming device
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com and detail which story you're referring to.
