02/17/2026
EARLY VOTING STARTS TOMORROW, TUESDAY, FEB 17...
VOTE FOR Ashleigh Buckley for Circuit Court Judge...
We are lucky in Arkansas to still have NONPARTISAN judicial races. So many states have changed this method; judges run with party-backing. That means PACs, dark money from outside of the state, veiled advertising that is attached to inflammatory topics like abortion and gun rights, and special interests. Guess what? A local, CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE has VERY little, if ANYTHING to do with abortion or gun rights.
Our local CIRCUIT COURT JUDGES deal with the everyday issues AFFECTING RIVER VALLEY FAMILIES: custody, divorce, guardianships,car wrecks, medical malpractice, breached contracts, property disputes, criminal charges, probating estates. And none of those things should have a political tilt.
Here is why a NONPARTISAN judiciary matters to me: a NONPARTISAN judicial race is not about the judicial candidate's political leanings, their voting record, their past partisan involvement, or even past political state service - it is about their experience, integrity, and actual competency for the position. It should be about their work as an attorney: the types of cases they handled, the families they helped, the injustices they fought against.
And why shouldn't judicial races be NONPARTISAN? Do you really want a "REPUBLICAN," a "CONSERVATIVE," a "DEMOCRAT," a "LIBERAL," a "LIBERTARIAN," or a "GREEN PARTY," Judge applying the law to your case through the lens of their chosen political bias? No. As an attorney and a litigant, myself, I want a fair shake. And I bet most, if not all, of you do too.
Judges have the hardest job in the world. They are expected to set aside personal, political, religious, and other biases and decide cases based on the facts in front of them and the law as it plainly reads. They might "like" one attorney over the other; they might "think" they'd never do that as a litigant; they might even "pray" to God about the issue at hand: but what they should never do is use those personal leanings to decide a case.
I have known Ashleigh Buckley for Circuit Court Judge since law school. Were we friends in law school? No. Did she outgun me in every class we had together? Yes. (I'm looking at you, Federal Criminal Law - that classroom presentation was EPIC, btw).
But Ashleigh wasn't just a good law student - she became an EXCELLENT lawyer. She worked as a deputy prosecutor on the State level keeping Sebastian County safer by the day...she worked as a Federal Assistant United States Attorney prosecuting some of the worst child-predators and child-predator rings in our region...and she worked as a private attorney, defending people's Constitutional rights and fighting against insurance companies who deny injured people compensation to fund their CEO's private jets and tropical vacations.
She and her husband re-invested in the Belle Grove historical district in Fort Smith to renovate their office and set down a foothold of justice and compassion in one of our town's most economically depressed areas. Would it have been easier to rent a mid-town shimmering office space that was move-in ready with all of the bells and whistles? Sure. Does Ashleigh ever take the "easy way out?" No.
Ashleigh knows the law. She knows civil procedure. She knows the Arkansas Rules of Evidence. She knows and PRACTICES legal ethics. She writes briefs, appeals, and reasoned, logical demand letters.
She is also a mom, a wife, a community servant (I honestly do not know how she participates in all of the boards, volunteer projects, the Junior League, Fort Kids, and keeps HORSES alive and kicking, while managing a private law firm and being an amazing mom to two boys)... I am just tired by writing this.
Full disclosure: our youngest kids go to school together. Are they friends? Also no. Frenemies at best. Do Ashleigh and I have cocktails, or work on cases together or against each other? No. Do we have playdates? Again, no, our kids are literally at each other's throats weekly. :)
But here's the real question: what do I get out of endorsing her? Certainly not payment (let's all keep our law licenses here)....certainly not some back-room deal in a case (we literally have ZERO cases together/against each other)....and certainly not judicial favor in endorsing the non-incumbent candidate...
In fact, nor will my endorsement help me in the future - 75% of my practice is family law - I will RARELY be in front of Ashleigh. The division she is running for handles CIVIL LITIGATION (car wrecks, slip and falls, medical malpractice, breaches of contract) and CRIMINAL (felonies - some of the worst offenders around)....
So my completely, unbiased, well-thought-out, endorsement is just that: a vote for experience, competency, compassion, and neutrality.
The law is my life. I live it, breathe it, love it.
My vote is for Ashleigh Buckley for Circuit Court Judge - and I encourage you to make that your vote as well!
Early Voting beings Feb. 17
Voting Day is March 3.
See you at the polls.
