About Sarah
Before I cast my vote, I make sure I know the person behind the name—especially when it comes to judges. We need judges with a proven work ethic and real-life experience—someone who understands both the challenges people face and the responsibility of applying the law with fairness and integrity.
Our Story
I was born in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, and moved to Little Rock after earning a scholarship to attend law school. That decision changed my life in more ways than one—it’s also how I met my husband, Eric. We’ve been married for 21 years, and fun fact: his best friend and I were law school classmates.
Eric is in his 23rd year of teaching and coaching, currently serving as head junior high football and head track coach, and assistant coach at the high school. Our son Cade, who’s now a junior, plays quarterback and linebacker. He broke his leg in his very first varsity game as a freshman, but he’s worked hard to come back stronger than ever. Our daughter Cambryn is a cheerleader, and both kids are smart, witty, and keep us on our toes—though they’re hoping this campaign doesn’t involve too many yard signs!
I’ve worn hearing aids since I was 30, thanks either to loud Nirvana blaring in my 1995 Pontiac Sunfire or just genetics. I do struggle to hear low voices, but I try to bring humor and understanding to everything I do. Outside of work, we live on a small hobby farm where I’m known for posting chicken pictures. We also have cows, donkeys, ducks, two geese, two dogs, and two cats. I’m a first-generation college graduate still paying off my student loans—no forgiveness here—and everything Eric and I have, we’ve worked hard to build. Neither of us came from wealth. Eric’s dad worked in a steel factory in Van Buren and passed away after battling Alzheimer’s, and his mom worked as a school secretary in Alma.
My Dad is a retired jailer and my Mom owns a company that works with individuals with disabilities. My sister, who is my closest friend, is a clinical director and LPCC-S. One brother is a child homicide detective in his 17th year with law enforcement, another is a U.S. Marine, and another one is a full-time college student.
My Unique Perspective on Criminal Justice
I grew up in rural Kentucky, literally inside the county jail. For generations my family—my great-grandfather, grandparents, and father—served as the elected jailer, the officials responsible for everything that happened inside those walls while the sheriff handled duties outside. When my father took office, he moved our small family into a basement apartment in the jail. Breakfast and dinner were often shared with trusted inmates who were deemed safe enough, and I saw them as people - the sons and daughters of parents, many of whom tried their best to raise them.
Living there gave me a front-row seat to the realities of crime and punishment. I saw firsthand that some people must be confined for the safety of the community—yet I also met men and women whose lives might have taken a different turn if someone had offered them education, job skills, or counseling. Those lessons led me to law school and still guide my work today, from creating community programs that offer vocational training and family therapy to championing second-chance initiatives for non-violent offenders.
With our prisons overcrowded, judges must think creatively about accountability and rehabilitation. If elected to the Court of Appeals, I will draw on this unique perspective—rooted in a lifetime spent both inside and outside the jail walls—to uphold the law while encouraging solutions that break cycles of drug abuse, violence, and recidivism in every Arkansas community.
Why I ran for the Legislature and Why I'm now running for the Court of Appeals
I first ran for the Arkansas House of Representatives because I wanted to make our laws work better for hardworking Arkansans. As a lawyer, I saw firsthand how laws impact real people—families trying to stay together, small businesses trying to stay afloat, and victims who deserve justice. I believed then, and I still believe now, that the courtroom isn’t a place for politics—it’s a place for accountability.
Today, I’m running for the Arkansas Court of Appeals because I want to keep serving—not by writing laws, but by upholding them with fairness, consistency, and common sense. My time in the legislature gave me insight into how laws are written. As a judge, I use that experience to apply the law the right way—not to make excuses, not to bend the rules, but to get it right.
I believe in personal responsibility. Criminals should be held accountable. Victims deserve to be heard. And the courtroom should be a place where the truth matters.
At the foundation of everything I do is my family, my faith, and my firm belief that justice must be even-handed—but never soft on crime. Arkansans deserve a judge who respects the law, understands its purpose, and isn’t afraid to make the tough calls.