Court of Appeals Judge Jo Hart received confirmation that her efforts to gather more than 15,000 signatures to place her on the ballot for the Arkansas Supreme Court were successful.
“Today I received word from the Secretary of State that I had turned in far more signatures than were necessary to put my name on the ballot for the May 22, 2012 election,” she said.
“I truly appreciate all the kind voters who gave of their time during the cold days of December and January to listen to my message of serving the people. And I listened to their opinions about their judiciary and their government. I will continue listening to them throughout this campaign,” she said.
The petition process allows a candidate to make the ballot without raising the funds to pay a filing fee.
“We are facing a critical time in our state when it comes to electing justices to the Supreme Court. My concern is that overspending in Arkansas judicial races may erode the public’s confidence in the impartiality and integrity of our judges,” said Judge Hart.
“I entered into this race by using ballot petitions because I wanted to tell the voters of Arkansas that there is an alternative to the toxic, highly financed judicial elections that negatively affect the public trust. I don’t want Arkansas to be like other states, where citizens perceive that justice is for sale,” she said.
Judge Hart lives in Mountain View with her husband Brook of 38 years. The May 22, 2012 election will fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court due to the retirement of Justice Jim Gunter, who announced his intention to retire last year.
