Rhonda Wood | |
|---|---|
| Associate Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Cliff Hoofman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1969 (age 55–56) Iowa,U.S. |
| Education | Hendrix College (BA) University of Arkansas,Little Rock (JD) |
Rhonda K. Wood (born 1969) is an American lawyer who has served as an associate justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court since 2015. [1] She previously served as a judge on the Arkansas Court of Appeals from 2013 to 2014,and as a trial court judge for the Arkansas 20th Judicial Circuit from 2007 to 2012. [1]
Wood was born in Iowa in 1969. [2] She moved to Arkansas in 1994 to study at Hendrix College in Conway,where she completed a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in political science in 1996. [2] [3] She completed a Juris Doctor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law in 1999. [1]
After graduating,Wood started her own law practice in Conway,which was eventually bought out by another law firm,Williams &Anderson of Little Rock. [4] She specialized in appellate law,health law,and business law. [3] Wood also worked as an assistant dean at the Bowen School of Law at UALR from 2002 to 2006. [3]
Since September 2022,Wood has co-hosted the podcast Lady Justice:Women of the Court with former Chief Justice Bridget Mary McCormack of Michigan and Chief Justice Beth Walker of West Virginia to discuss state courts,the law and its real-world implications. [5]
In 2006,Governor Mike Huckabee appointed Wood as a trial court judge,serving on the Arkansas 20th Judicial Circuit Court,which covers three counties:Faulkner,Searcy,and Van Buren. She was re-elected to a six-year term on this court in 2008. [4]
In 2010,Wood challenged incumbent Josephine L. Hart for a seat on the Arkansas Court of Appeals for district 2. Wood was defeated,receiving 48% of the vote,compared to 52% for Hart. [6] In 2012,Wood ran again for a seat on the Arkansas Court of Appeals,and this time she won,defeating Mitch Cash and winning 63% of the vote. [2]
In 2014,Wood ran for a seat on the Arkansas Supreme Court for position 7,and was elected unopposed. [7] [8] She was reelected again without opposition in November 2022. [9] [10]
In 2024,she unsuccessfully ran for chief justice against fellow justice Karen R. Baker. [9]