The earlier mention of Tim Griffin naturally put me to thinking about Obama-era U.S. attorneys in Arkansas. (Griffin, you remember, was installed as U.S. attorney in Little Rock as part of the Bush putsch of insufficiently political U.S. attorneys, but left the post when he was caught up in that scandal.)

Griffin, as it happens, had a scrap of news on this front on his blog the other day. It was that Robin Carroll of El Dorado, a Democratic Party activist, was NOT interested in the U.S. attorney job in Fort Smith. A number of people are mentioned for this post, including Conner Eldridge of Arkadelphia and Eva Madison of Fayetteville. The Little Rock slot? Most prevalent name circulating is that of Michael Barnes of the Wright firm.

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A cast of thousands — or at least dozens — is interested in the judgeships available in Arkansas on account of Judges Harry Barnes (Michael’s father), Bill Wilson and Jim Moody taking senior status. Add Court of Appeals Judge Price Marshall’s name, prominently, to that speculative talk. And Barnes’ clerk, Susan Hickey of El Dorado, and Magistrate Caroline Malone Craven of Texarkana.

Will Democrats fill three judgeships without naming at least one woman to the federal bench in LR, when the sole female district judge in the state is a Republican appointee? Surely not.

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Anyone with further insight?

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