Sandra Young Harris, a local lawyer, recently announced her candidacy for circuit court judge of Jefferson and Lincoln counties.
Harris, who owns a law firm, will seek the position currently held by Judge Leon Jamison, who is not seeking reelection.
A native of Pine Bluff, Harris is a 1975 graduate of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. She received her juris doctorate degree from the University of Arkansas William Bowen School of Law and passed the bar exam in 1992, according to a news release.
She is a member of the Arkansas and Jefferson County Bar Associations. Her first legal position was as a staff attorney for Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. In 1993, she joined the Hunt and Kelly Law Firm and began practicing as a civil rights attorney.
For 28 years, Harris has done this work, including handling many jury trials. She has litigated cases before the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas, argued before the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeal, and has petitioned the Supreme Court of the United States.
For six years, she worked for the Jefferson County Office of Child Support Enforcement. She was one of several staff lawyers who handled approximately 7,000 cases for Jefferson, Lincoln and Bradley counties.
Harris is also admitted to practice before the Arkansas state courts and primarily practices in the areas of domestic relations and probate law, including child support and custody, adoption, and guardianship.
One of her proudest accomplishments was winning a case before the Arkansas Supreme Court, according to the release.
Harris has represented many clients before administrative agencies, including the Social Security Administration, Arkansas Appeal Tribunal, Veterans Administration and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
In 2010 and 2014, Harris received the Volunteer Attorney of the Year Award for her work handling pro bono cases or providing legal representation for those unable to afford it. In 2015, she was presented the Lawyer Community Legacy Award by the Arkansas Bar Association. This award is presented to attorneys who give back to the community out of a sense of duty and the desire to make a difference, according to the release.
In 2014, Harris co-founded the Regional Mental Health Support Group to address the need for advocacy in the underserved community. The group's monthly meetings were held in local churches where information was provided to consumers.
She has volunteered for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). She is also a volunteer for the United Nations and has taught foreign school children to speak English. She is a life member of the UAPB Alumni Association and member of the NAACP.
She is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. A registered dietitian from 1976-1989, she was a member of a healthcare team at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and Veteran's Administration Medical Center General Medical and Surgical and Neuropsychiatry Hospitals.
She is married to Herbert E. Harris and is the mother of two children, Corrie Harris Nelson and Herbert E. Harris II. She is the daughter of Helen and Ira Young Sr.