Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced Wednesday that a former assistant U.S. attorney and Phillips County district judge will replace a circuit judge who died earlier this month.
Attorney Chalk Mitchell of Helena-West Helena was appointed to serve the remaining 14 months of the term of Circuit Judge L.T. Simes II in the six-county 1st Judicial Circuit. Simes died Oct. 10 of complications from leukemia. He was 65.
In a prepared statement, the Republican governor said he had known Mitchell for more than 10 years.
"It's an honor to appoint someone to this critical judicial position who has both the highest of academic achievement and professional respect as well as the ideal judicial temperament," Hutchinson said.
In an interview, Mitchell said the governor called him about 10 a.m. Wednesday to inform him of the appointment. He said he expects to be sworn in by Circuit Judge Kathleen Bell on Friday and take the bench Monday.
Mitchell said he was humbled to replace Simes, who served as circuit judge in the circuit's 2nd Division from 1997 through 2009, and again from 2011 until his death.
"I think he certainly was the people's judge. He was a caring judge with a good Christian background. He tried to make sure everyone got equal justice. It's an awesome responsibility to try to fill his shoes, and I'm not sure that I can, but I'm certainly willing to do the best I can," Mitchell said.
Mitchell said he was familiarizing himself with Simes' docket, which includes cases in Cross, Lee, Monroe, Phillips, St. Francis and Woodruff counties.
Before his appointment, Mitchell most recently served as the city attorney of his hometown of Helena-West Helena.
Mitchell is a graduate of Morehouse College in Atlanta. He earned a law degree from Georgetown University in 1976 and a master's degree in public administration from Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government in 1978.
He later served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas from 1980 to 1986 before moving to Colorado, where he worked as a federal prosecutor for another 10 years.
Mitchell later returned to Arkansas, where he has been in private practice, served as a state prosecutor and been appointed a special associate justice to the Arkansas Supreme Court.
Mitchell also was appointed in 2002 as Phillips County district judge by Gov. Mike Huckabee. He served in that role until 2004.
The appointment will bar Mitchell from seeking the 2nd Division judgeship in the next election.
Mitchell said Wednesday that he plans to file as a candidate for Bell's 4th Division judgeship next month. Bell is expected to retire after her term expires at the end of 2016.
Metro on 10/22/2015