HOT SPRINGS -- The state has assigned a special judge to Division 2 of the 18th East Judicial Circuit encompassing Garland County, freeing Circuit Judge Lynn Williams of Hot Springs to focus on Division 3, Williams said Monday.
Williams also presided over Division 2 cases after Circuit Judge Wade Naramore of Hot Springs took a leave of absence after the July 24 death of his son, Thomas.
A preliminary investigation pointed to excessive heat as the cause of death for the 18-month-old, who was left unattended in a vehicle for an undetermined period of time. Naramore was questioned by police, and Prosecuting Attorney Scott Ellington of Jonesboro is the special prosecutor reviewing the case.
Per Williams' request, Arkansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Howard Brill assigned retired Circuit Judge David Goodson of Paragould to serve in Naramore's stead, according to the order provided by the Administrative Office of the Courts.
Williams said the Administrative Office of the Courts and the Division 2 trial court assistant are coordinating the dates when a special judge will be needed.
Recent orders assigned Goodson for 10 days this month, beginning today. An earlier order requested by Williams assigned Goodson to a case Sept. 23.
Division 2 hears all of Garland County's juvenile cases and has the busiest docket of the county's four divisions. According to the judicial district's administrative plan, 1,790 juvenile cases were filed in Garland County last year.
Division 3 handles 45 percent of the county's domestic relations cases and 40 percent of its civil cases.
Williams said parental neglect cases and other filings involving the Arkansas Department of Human Services are typically scheduled on Wednesdays. Juvenile delinquency cases are scheduled for Thursdays, and juvenile arraignments are on Fridays.
Exchange agreements among the county's four circuit judges enable them to hear cases outside their assigned subject areas, an arrangement that had previously covered Naramore's docket without the chief justice having to assign a special judge.
But Williams said it's no longer possible for him to preside over two divisions. He said he has numerous out-of-town conferences later this year and early next year, and two weeks have been blocked off on Division 3's December calendar for a medical malpractice case.
"The number of days I can sit anywhere are limited," Williams said. "Ultimately, my responsibility is to Division 3."
Goodson was a circuit judge for the 2nd Judicial Circuit in northeast Arkansas from 1991 to 2005. Attorney Donna Gay with the Administrative Office of the Courts said he still resides in the Paragould area but has a home in Little Rock that will allow for an easier commute to Hot Springs.
Gay, who works with the chief justice on assigning special judges, said Naramore contacted her several days after his son's death to ensure that his docket would be covered. She said he hasn't indicated in subsequent discussions if or when he'll return.
Gay said the judicial circuit's internal arrangements had made a special judge unnecessary before now.
"We've always been ready to assist Garland County if there were a need to send a special judge," she said. "The thing that made that unnecessary was the circuit judges covering it themselves. That's a good thing, but sometimes they can't always do it."
The Arkansas Constitution authorizes the chief justice to assign a retired or active judge to substitute for one who is unable to serve. The governor appoints a replacement when a judgeship is vacated, putting an appointee in place until a new judge can be elected to complete the term.
According to the Administrative Office of the Courts, a vacancy occurring before Nov. 1 would allow a new judge to be elected in the March 1 primary and begin serving in January 2017. A vacancy occurring after Nov. 1 would require the appointee to serve through 2018, as a new judge couldn't be elected until the 2018 election season.
Naramore was elected to a six-year term in 2014, defeating Cecilia Dyer in a runoff.
State Desk on 10/07/2015