Taylor Samples, Mark Scalise up for state district judge seat
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS (KNWA/KFTA) — Among the local races Northwest Arkansas voters will decide on is the state district judge District 2, Division 1 race between Mark Scalise and Taylor Samples.
Washington County residents and some Benton County voters will see the race on their ballots. The winning candidate will replace Judge Jeff Harper, who announced he is retiring.
Samples said the vacancy “serves primarily Springdale and Elm Springs” with Scalise adding that the district court judge oversees “traffic violations, misdemeanors and small claims or civil disputes of less than $25,000.”
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Samples is currently the senior deputy city attorney for Springdale — a position he’s held since 2015 — and Scalise is a local patent attorney dealing with patents, trademarks and copyrights as well as “some defense work in district court.”
Samples believes “the rule of law is important.”
“In a district court judge role where you are literally looking at the law that is violated or the right that’s provided,” Samples said. “It’s important to stay within that context and not go outside of that context. I think if a judge were to bring his or her own moral beliefs or whatever into that situation — and, certainly, if they conflict with the laws passed by the legislature that we’re all put on notice of — I don’t think that would right of a judge.”
Scalise said he would be an “honest judge” with “a lot of common sense.”
“I don’t believe in legislating from the bench,” Scalise said. “I believe in following the Constitution, and those are really my approach to the position of a district judge.”
Samples said he wants to carry on the successes from the “really good job” he claims Harper did tenure.
“If elected, the voters would get someone who, on day 1, would be able to step in there and keep our court rolling,” Samples said.
Scalise said he would be a judge with “integrity, honesty, treats people fairly.”
“I believe in holding guilty parties accountable but also taking into account the situation,” Scalise said. “People that come before a judge, they hope that maybe that judge walked a mile in their shoes at some point in their life.”
Scalise said he’s taking an even-keeled approach ahead of Tuesday’s election, and Samples is urging people to head to the polls for the primary.
Early voting is available through Monday with the Arkansas Preferential Primary taking place Tuesday. Early voting locations and hours in Washington County can be found here with Election Day locations available here.
For Benton County residents, click here to see early voting hours and locations. To find Election Day voting locations, you can click here.
Polls will be open on Election Day from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
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