State Supreme Court race will pit experienced prosecutor and judge against a sitting justice

The race for an open seat on the Arkansas Supreme Court that came into play due to last year’s death of a justice is a contest between a Texarkana-based circuit judge and a justice who is a already a 12-year veteran of the state’s highest court.

Justice Robin Wynne of Fordyce, a former Arkansas Court of Appeals judge, died in June at age 70, six months into his second term as the Position 2 justice, which he had won after a run-off. A gubernatorial appointee, Cody Hiland, has held the post since July. The Supreme Court has seven justices who serve eight-year terms.

Voters will go to the polls on March 5 to choose a successor who will serve out the rest of Wynne’s term, which pays $187,961 annually.