LITTLE ROCK — Faulkner County Circuit Judge Rhonda Wood of Conway and Brandon Harrison of Fort Smith appear headed to seats on the Arkansas Court of Appeals.
But the fate of other candidates seeking places on the appeals court remained uncertain Tuesday night.
In one race, two candidates were heading into a runoff election.
DISTRICT 1, POSITION 2
With 336 of 339 precincts reporting, unofficial results were:
Phillip Whiteaker ..... 17,096 Jeannette Robertson .14,595 Richard Lusby ........... 13,361
It was unclear which candidates could be in the runoff. Should a runoff occur, it will be held Nov. 6 during the General Election, per state law, which requires judicial election runoff races to take place then.
In a race with more than two candidates, a runoff is held if no one receives more than 50 percent of the vote.
Whiteaker, 50, a Lonoke County circuit judge, said Tuesday night that he didn’t expect the runoff election picture to be clear until sometime today.
“They have having some kind of issues getting numbers in from Lonoke County,” he said. “It’s been slow getting anything out of there tonight. We are seeing different reports from different agencies. I think it will be a late call.”
Whiteaker has 25 years of judicial experience.
Lusby, 59, a Jonesboro attorney, has practiced law for more than 30 years in Craighead County. He has served as a special justice on the Arkansas Supreme Court.
Monitoring election results at his home Tuesday night, he said, “We are trying not to presume anything, just watching and hoping.”
Robertson, 57, of Jonesboro, an attorney and Craighead County District Judge, has been practicing law there for the past 27 years.
DISTRICT 2, POSITION 2
With 511 of 521 precincts reporting, unofficial results were:
Rhonda Wood . . . . . . . 30,446 Mitch Cash. . . . . . . . . . . .18,155
Wood, 42, of Conway, serves as a circuit judge. According to the Faulkner County Circuit Court’s website, Wood has taught business-law courses at the W.H. Bowen School of Law at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and has practiced privately.
She was appointed to her current position by Gov. Mike Huckabee in 2006 and was elected to a six-year term in 2008.
Cash, 50, of Pindall, serves as Searcy County district judge and has been in the judicial field for 16 years.
DISTRICT 3, POSITION 2
With 331 of 348 precincts reporting, unofficial results were:
Kenneth Hixson . . . . . . 27,788 Niki Cung . . . . . . . . . . . . 26,337
Hixson, 56, a Fayetteville attorney, grew up mining coal with his father but turned to a law career more than 30 years ago. He specializes in personal-injury, probate and estates, real estate and construction law and employment law, among other areas.
Cung, 40, of Fayetteville has practiced law for 16 years and taught in the Northwest Arkansas Community College legal-studies program.
DISTRICT 4, POSITION 1
With all 420 precincts reporting, unofficial results were:
Brandon Harrison . . . 26,424 Jake Looney . . . . . . . . . . 23,749
Harrison, 38, of Fort Smith, has practiced law since 2002 and has published work on the appellate process, he said recently.
Looney, 67, of Mena serves as a circuit judge and is the former dean of the University of Arkansas School of Law, a position he held for eight years. He has 40 years of judicial experience.
UNOPPOSED CANDIDATES
Incumbent Judge David M. Glover ran unopposed for the District 4, Position 2 seat.
Incumbent Judge Robin Wynne ran unopposed in District 5.
Arkansas, Pages 11 on 05/23/2012