Those of you who are old enough, take a minute and think back to the year 1974. Much was going on in the world, and in our nation: President Richard Nixon resigned, gas was forty-two cents a gallon, the Beach Boys were topping the charts, and The Exorcist was scaring us to death at the movie theatre.

I had just finished the 11th grade at Hall High School in Little Rock, and the biggest personal event for me during summer vacation was going to Boy’s State. It was there, at Boy’s State, that I first decided to throw my hat in the ring and run for a political office. That summer was the first time I stepped up to a podium to make a political speech, and it was to hundreds of voters from every corner of our wonderful State. The summer of 1974 was when I won my first election: Associate Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court.

It has been three and a half decades since that election. I graduated from Hendrix College and received my law degree from the University of Arkansas School of Law. I passed the Arkansas Bar in 1981, married my college sweetheart in 1982, and we have two children.

After passing the Bar I handled all types of cases—civil, criminal, and domestic. I worked primarily in private practice, both solo and with a small firm, but I was very fortunate to spend five years as Chief Assistant City Attorney for the City of North Little Rock, and then for three years I was the Prosecutor in North Little Rock District Court.

In 2002, after practicing law for over twenty years, I was elected Circuit Judge, winning over 65% of the vote, and was reelected in 2008. Since being elected Circuit Judge I have presided over more than two hundred and fifty jury trials, and have additionally tried thousands of non-jury cases. My service with juries has reinforced my belief in our judicial system. A number of the cases I resolved involved constitutional issues, and other issues that are of the type heard on appeal by the Arkansas Supreme Court.

I believe we should constantly strive to improve ourselves personally and professionally, and in so doing maybe inspire others to do the same. To that end, I became the first judge in the history of the State of Arkansas to be awarded the Master of Judicial Studies degree. I am an active participant in the Pulaski County and Arkansas Bar Associations, and received a President’s Award in 2007 for my work for the Arkansas Bar Association. I have twice been named Circuit Judge of the Year for my practice area, and I have significantly reduced the time it takes for people to get their cases tried in my court.

When I graduated from law school, one of the best ways for voters to get good information about judicial candidates was to simply ask attorneys they knew and trusted. Much has changed in the last three decades but I still believe asking attorneys is still a great way to get good information about judicial candidates. There are hundreds and hundreds of practicing attorneys who have agreed to publicly endorse my candidacy. Their names will be appearing in my campaign ads and here, on my campaign website. They are the people you know at Little League, on the golf course, that you see Sundays at church. If you want to know more about me: about my work ethic, my intelligence, my understanding of the law, or even about my judicial philosophy, I encourage you to ask these attorneys their opinion.

I have earnestly tried to be a good steward of the trust and the authority the voters placed in me as Circuit Judge. I would very much appreciate your vote and support in my candidacy for the Supreme Court. You have my promise you will get my best effort every day.

Respectfully,

Tim

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