LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Justice Karen Baker is Arkansas’s next Supreme Court chief justice, defeating her colleague on the bench, Justice Rhonda Wood.
Baker’s win means she’ll replace Chief Justice Dan Kemp when he resigns in January.
In a history-making race, Baker's name is now engrained in Arkansas history as the first woman elected to the position.
UA Little Rock Law Professor Robert Steinbuch said he was surprised by voters' sway. Baker's competitor, Woods, not only leans more conservatively but also had the backing of Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and other Republicans.
"I would expect that Arkansas, being largely Republican, would want to vote for someone with a conservative judicial philosophy; turns out they did not," Steinbuch said. "Karen Baker is a bit of an enigma. She doesn't seem to campaign, yet she seems to win over and over again."
Baker positioned herself as the front-runner with over 50% of the vote. The result resembled the March primary when she also held a slight lead over Wood.
Despite the loss, Wood will keep her current associate justice seat on the court until 2030.
In a personal statement on Facebook, Wood thanked her supporters:
"Thank you everyone for your tireless support these last two years. It was a grassroots effort by so many who we now feel are part of our family.
Please know I am at peace. That is because this was never about me, but about the court as a whole.
I look forward to continuing to serve as your Justice for the next 6 years.
Much love to you all!"
Steinbuch said Baker's new role as chief justice is "largely an administrative position."
"The chief justice has no greater vote in any case than any other justice," Steinbuch said. "It's more about how the court system operates, how you file cases and other innovations like that."
Baker's victory opens her seat on the court, which means Sanders has to appoint a new judge.
"The governor will appoint a conservative because the governor is a conservative," Steinbuch said. "That's going to leave five justices who are conservative and two justices who are liberal."
Steinbuch said Arkansans won't see much of a difference in the outcome of cases, but those outcomes may be more predictable with a court majority that follows conservative judicial philosophies.
"Conservatives tend to hue more directly towards the language of a statute," Steinbuch said. "Liberals tend to have a broader view as to the project they're undertaking in interpreting laws."
Baker will be sworn in as chief justice in January 2025, and Sanders is expected to make an appointment shortly after.