Campus Community Invited to Join Women of the Arkansas Supreme Court

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School of Law, WLSA and ASG present 'Women of Justice: a panel discussion with Arkansas Supreme Court Justices' on April 4 at Giffels Auditorium.

Join the women of the Arkansas Supreme Court for a lively panel discussion hosted by the U of A School of Law, Women's Law Student Association (known as WLSA to law school students and alumni) and the Associated Student Government. The event will take place from 5:30-7 p.m. on April 4 at Giffels Auditorium.

The female Arkansas Supreme Court Justices will share advice, talk about their experiences and describe what it is like to be a successful woman in law.

The first hour of the event will be moderated by a leader from WLSA, and the last 30 minutes will be reserved for questions and answers from the audience.

Click here to register for Women of Justice: A Panel Discussion with the Women of the Arkansas Supreme Court.

KAREN BAKER

The Hon. Karen Baker is a judge for Position 6 of the Arkansas Supreme Court. She was first elected to the state Supreme Court in 2010.

Justice Baker received her undergraduate degree from Arkansas Tech University and her J.D. from the UA Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law.

Prior to serving as justice on the Arkansas Supreme Court, Baker served as associate judge for the Arkansas Court of Appeals from 2001-2010, as 20th Judicial District Circuit/Chancery Judge from 1997-2000 and as 20th Judicial District Circuit/Chancery/Juvenile Judge from 1995-1996. She was also the public defender for Van Buren and Searcy counties from 1989-1995.

COURTNEY HUDSON (J.D.'97)

The Hon. Courtney Hudson is a judge for Position 3 of the Arkansas Supreme Court. She was first elected to the state Supreme Court in May 2010.

Justice Hudson received her undergraduate degree from the U of A in 1994, graduating magna cum laude, and her J.D. with high honors from the U of A School of Law in 1997.

Before joining the state Supreme Court, she clerked for the late Judge Terry Crabtree of Bentonville and Judge Frank Aery of Conway. In 2008, the people of Washington, Benton, Johnson, Franklin, Madison, Carroll and Crawford counties elected her to serve as a judge on the 12-member Arkansas Court of Appeals. Two years later, she won her first statewide election, which landed her on the Arkansas Supreme Court at the age of 38. Never before had a candidate been placed on the ballot by petition of registered voters. This made her the youngest justice ever elected to the high court by the people of Arkansas and the first woman to win a contested race for the Supreme Court.

In 2014, Hudson was awarded the Gayle Pettus Pontz Award by WLSA for best representing the accomplishments of women in the legal community, helping women thrive in law school and advancing women in the legal profession.

RHONDA WOOD

The Hon. Rhonda K. Wood is a judge for Position 7 of the Arkansas Supreme Court. She was first elected to the state Supreme Court in May 2014.

Justice Wood received her undergraduate degree from Hendrix College, graduating magna cum laude, with distinction in politics, and her J.D. with highest honors from the UA Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law in 1999.

Before joining the Arkansas Supreme Court, Woods served as Circuit Judge, 20th Judicial District from 2007-2012; and as Arkansas Court of Appeals Judge from 2013-2014.

BARBARA WEBB

The Hon. Barbara Webb is a judge for Position 4 of the Arkansas Supreme Court. She was elected to the state Supreme Court in 2020.

Justice Webb received her undergraduate degree from the U of A, where she was awarded the Henry M. Alexander Award for academic achievement as the top graduating senior in her degree. She received her J.D. from the UA Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law.

Webb served as Administrative Law Judge from 2005 until 2015. She was the first female circuit judge in Saline County in 2018. From 2019-2020, Webb served as chief administrative law judge at the Arkansas Workers' Compensation Commission.

About the School of Law: The law school offers a competitive J.D. as well as an advanced LL.M. program, which are taught by nationally recognized faculty. The school offers unique opportunities for students to participate in pro bono work, externships, live client clinics, competitions, and food and agriculture initiatives. The school strives to identify, discuss, and challenge issues of race, color, ethnicity, and the impact(s) they have on students, faculty, and staff members in an effort to achieve a diverse, inclusive, and equitable community. From admitting the Six Pioneers who were the first African American students to attend law school in the South without a court order to graduating governors, judges, prosecutors, and faculty who went on to become President of the United States and Secretary of State, the law school has a rich history and culture. Follows us at @uarklaw.