Judge Emily White has announced that she will seek the District 4, Position 2, Arkansas Court of Appeals seat. This district covers 15 counties along the western part of the state from Sebastian to Miller Counties and includes Logan, Scott, Yell, Garland, Montgomery, Polk, Sevier, Howard, Pike, Clark, Hot Spring, Hempstead and Little River. Governor Asa Hutchinson recently appointed Meredith Switzer to the unexpired term of Judge David “Mac” Glover, who recently died. State law does not allow Switzer to run for the Court of Appeals position.
“I practiced law for 18 years and believe my expertise in criminal law, civil practice and judicial ethics has prepared me for this important office. I currently serve as District Court Judge in the 33rd State District Court, which is Hot Spring and Grant Counties. Previously, I served as Deputy Executive Director of the Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission, was managing attorney for a law practice in central Arkansas, where I oversaw all aspects of civil and criminal litigation, and served as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for both the 6th and 22nd Judicial Districts. I believe in a fair and impartial judicial branch and that a judge’s role should be as an interpreter of the law. If elected, I promise to continue to treat everyone before my court with dignity and respect.”
White graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, William H. Bowen School of Law with a Juris Doctorate and received her undergraduate degree from Henderson State University. She has served as a Special Associate Justice on the Arkansas Supreme Court, special guest speaker for the Arkansas Bar Association, Arkansas Trial Lawyers’ Association, Arkansas State University Systems, Pulaski County Bar Association, Association of Judicial Disciplinary Counsel and the University of Arkansas Criminal Justice Institute. She currently serves on the Arkansas Lawyer Wellness Taskforce appointed by the Arkansas Supreme Court.
White and her husband, David Lengefeld, have been married for 16 years and have two school-age daughters. White’s family has lived in the Hot Spring County area for over 100 years.