Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Karen Baker on Friday announced her 2024 candidacy for chief justice.
“I believe my experience at every level of the judiciary is unmatched and I am currently the senior, most experienced justice, on the Arkansas Supreme Court,” Baker said in a news release announcing her run. “I want to continue to put that experience to work for the people of Arkansas.”
During an interview, Baker, 59, said that Chief Justice John Dan Kemp has told her that he does not intend to seek another eight-year term as chief justice next year, when he will turn 73.
Kemp confirmed in a phone interview later Friday that he intends to retire at the end of his term. He noted that if he seeks reelection, he would have to relinquish his retirement benefits. Kemp qualified for those benefits when he turned 70, and in Arkansas, a judge or justice “shall lose all retirement benefits if he/she serves beyond the end of the term needed to get sufficient credited service to retire.”
Jon Gilmore, a campaign consultant for Justice Barbara Webb, said during a phone interview that Webb “has been strongly encouraged by a lot of people to run for chief justice.” Gilmore said that Webb, 66, intended to make a decision in the near future.
This story has been updated with comments from Kemp. It was originally published at 7:56 p.m.