Wendy Wood
Education: J.D., UALR Bowen School of Law; B.A., Vanderbilt University
Prior Elected Office or Public Service: Current law clerk, AR Court of Appeals
Community Service: I serve as a member of the board of directors of Alzheimer’s Arkansas, and I am a member of the Downtown Little Rock Rotary Club 99. I was a long-time volunteer basketball coach at the Penick Girls & Boys Club. I am a proud supporter of the Little Rock School District. Our daughters Madeline and Anna attended elementary, middle, and high school in the LRSD. Madeline is a junior at the University of Arkansas, and Anna is a junior at Little Rock Central High School. I have served on many school committees and have chaired and co-chaired the Accelerated Reader Program in elementary school, Red Ribbon Week (Drug Abuse Prevention Campaign) and the Panther Prowl 5K in middle school, and the Volleyball Booster Club in high school. I have been a member of St. James United Methodist Church since 1993. Paul and I were married there in 1996, and Madeline and Anna were baptized there. We are founding members of the United in Christ Sunday school class.
Have you ever engaged in any occupation, business, or profession other than the law? Yes. I earned my way through college with a basketball scholarship at Vanderbilt University. Because of my success there, I was invited to join the 1990 USA Select Team for the Italy/Czechoslovakia Tour. Later, I was a professional basketball player in Tokyo, Japan. My basketball career was a truly amazing experience, one that taught me numerous life lessons that have greatly impacted my legal career.
Judges are permitted to be involved in improving understanding of the Courts under Rule 3.1 of the Code of Judicial Conduct. Would you take a role in helping educate the public about the court system? Why or why not? Yes. I believe judges must play a role in educating the public about the court system. It is important for people to know how the legal system works to protect victims and allows people to resolve disputes peacefully. My campaign is proof of my commitment to education about the legal profession. For example, in my social media and on my website, I have recorded "Did you know" videos that explain topics like: why and when the Court of Appeals was created, how many judges serve on the Court of Appeals, how the judges work together as a team, what counties in Arkansas are eligible to vote in my race, how long the judges’ terms are, what is a nonpartisan election, what types of cases the Court of Appeals reviews, where the court is located, how cases are submitted to the court, how the court hands down opinions, and more. Please visit my Facebook (Committee to Elect Wendy Wood), Instagram (wendywoodforjudge), and Twitter (wood_judge) accounts.
Do appellate courts have a role in addressing racial and economic disparities in the judicial system? If so, what is that role? Yes. The appellate courts of Arkansas play a vital role in addressing racial and economic disparities in the judicial system. The Arkansas Supreme Court makes clear that judges are authorized to find solutions to recurring problems such as offering alternatives to incarceration through the Arkansas specialty courts such as adult and juvenile drug court, veteran’s treatment court, DWI court, family treatment court, and mental-health court. Judges can help find solutions to incarceration, when working with the legislature, to help people get back on track. Further, it is important we elect judges who reflect our society. Judges should be racially diverse and bring all perspectives to the bench. I learned on the basketball court, playing with people all over the state, the country, and the world, that the best decisions are made when all voices are heard and justice is fairly applied to all.
An independent, fair and impartial judiciary is crucial to our justice system. Do you think Rule 4 of the Code of Judicial Conduct, which governs political and campaign activities of judges & judicial candidates, goes far enough to ensure public confidence in the court's role as a neutral decision-maker? Rule 4 establishes important guidelines to ensure that judges and judicial candidates are viewed by voters as independent, fair, and impartial. I believe judicial candidates should not make promises to specific constituencies to earn their vote or identify with a political party. Judges and judicial candidates should promise to be independent, fair, and impartial when applying the law equally to all people. I have made that promise and have lived my life by that example.
To what extent do you believe that appellate courts should or should not defer to the actions of a legislature? What is your view of the court's role in a system of checks and balances? The legislature makes laws. Of course, appellate judges must uphold the rule of law. However, under our constitutional separation of powers, appellate courts also decide if the laws written by the legislature violate the Arkansas Constitution. While not often, sometimes laws are declared unconstitutional by the Arkansas appellate courts. To be clear, when there is no challenge to the constitutionality of a law, every judge in Arkansas must work to uphold it.