Copeland, Nations square off for west Washington County district judge

FAYETTEVILLE -- The single race for district judge in Washington County features two small town boys who made good, went on to successful legal careers and want to serve their community from the bench.

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Graham Nations

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Casey Copeland

Graham Nations is the incumbent on the west-Washington County bench, while Casey Copeland represents the interests of children from troubled families.

Washington County District Judge, Division 2

Graham H. Nations (Incumbent)

Age: 44

Residency: Lifelong resident of Prairie Grove area

Employment: Prairie Grove District Court judge; lawyer, private practice

Education: Law degree and bachelor of arts, University of Arkansas

Political Experience: Prairie Grove District Court judge, 2005-present

Casey D. Copeland

Age: 39

Residency: Lifelong resident of Washington County.

Employment: Lawyer since 2005; attorney ad litem representing children in foster care since 2012.

Education: Law degree and bachelor of science in business, University of Arkansas

Political Experience: Prairie Grove City Council, 2011-present; Washington County Justice of the Peace, 1999-2002

Source: Staff Report

"I've got 11 years of experience. I've been a lawyer for 19 years. I'm a great listener. I'm very fair-minded. I would not do for any one person anything different than I would do for another person," Nations said. "I let lawyers try their cases and let them do their jobs. Mostly, I'm just passionate about making certain that everybody receives justice."

Nations, who has handled more than 42,000 cases as a judge, said district courts are, typically, the face of the justice system.

"More people see district courts than any other courts in the state of Arkansas. Those people show up in court expecting to be treated with dignity and expecting to receive justice and it's our job to do the best we can to make sure they receive it -- that they're treated fairly, equally and with dignity," Nations said.

Copeland said his work with foster children and their families has taught him to look at the bigger picture.

"Working very closely with that process has taught me that what adults do has a broader effect than just on themselves," Copeland said.

Lawbreakers have to be punished but it should be done in a way that gets the point across to the offender without harming families or causing disrespect or contempt for the judicial process, Copeland said.

"I think the work that I have been doing, understanding how families are affected, and devastated, by the misdeeds of an adult would help me to tailor what we're doing in the district courts to make our point without pushing people further into some kind of financial distress," Copeland said. "And, I think if can can find a way for our criminal justice system to promote its purposes of restitution to victims and reducing recidivism while reducing unintended consequences, then that's something we have to start looking at."

District courts handle mostly misdemeanor criminal cases, like driving while intoxicated, domestic battery or traffic violations.

Washington County will have four full-time district judges who will be elected by countywide vote and will begin serving in 2017. The nonpartisan judicial general election is March 1. If runoffs are needed, they will be held Nov. 8, the same day as the general election.

Full-time state district court judges are paid $140,000 per year. Each county in Arkansas has at least one district court. Some counties, like Washington and Benton, have several. Madison and Carroll counties will share a district judge.

The three incumbents who are running for the other positions in Washington County are Jeff Harper, Casey Jones and Bill Storey. They did not draw opponents.

The state continues to overhaul the district court system. Reducing the number of district judges in Washington County from five to four is because the county district courts are going under state control as of January 2017.

The timetable for the statewide change is governed by Act 1081 of 2015. The act stems from Amendment 80 to the state constitution, which was passed in 2000 with a goal of totally revising Arkansas courts. Changes include merging law and equity courts and the nonpartisan election of state court judges.

The changes began in 2008 and will continue through 2029 as more courts change from municipal to district courts and are added to the state system.

NW News on 02/06/2016

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