---
title: "Catherine Palmer Dean | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/catherine-palmer-dean-mississippi-county-district-court-osceola-district-ar"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-07"
---

# Catherine Palmer Dean

Arkansas State District Court, Judicial District 18 · District Judge

## Profile

- Court: Arkansas State District Court, Judicial District 18
- State: Arkansas
- Role: District Judge
- Service status: active
- Last verified: 2026-07-29

## Summary

Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.

## Before you appear

- Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed.
- Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance.
- Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding.

## Courtroom Rules

### remote hearing platform

Scope: statewide

Arkansas Judiciary publishes electronic-hearing Zoom resources and court-user guides for remote proceedings.

Evidence excerpt: Zoom Guides for Court Users

[Arkansas Judiciary: Electronic Hearings With Zoom](https://arcourts.gov/arkansas-supreme-court-statement-novel-coronavirus-outbreak-and-courts/electronic-hearings-zoom)
Source checked: 2026-07-26

### audio recording

Scope: statewide

Arkansas Judiciary publishes state-district-court digital audio recording guidance as an official court resource.

Evidence excerpt: AOC Provisional Guidelines for Digital Audio Recording in State District Courts

[Arkansas Judiciary: District Courts](https://arcourts.gov/courts/district-courts)
Source checked: 2026-07-26


## Sources

- [Official profile](https://arcourts.gov/directories/district-courts?page=13)
- [Official roster](https://arcourts.gov/directories/district-courts?page=13)
- [Arkansas Judiciary official judicial roster](https://arcourts.gov/directories/district-courts?page=13)
- [Arkansas Judiciary: Electronic Hearings With Zoom](https://arcourts.gov/arkansas-supreme-court-statement-novel-coronavirus-outbreak-and-courts/electronic-hearings-zoom)
- [Arkansas Judiciary: District Courts](https://arcourts.gov/courts/district-courts)

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## Biography

### Professional career

- The District Judge for Mississippi County (District 18) in Osceola, Arkansas, serving since 2016 and currently running for re‐election in 2024
- Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for the Second Judicial District, Arkansas, from 1995 to present
- The District Judge for District 18 and is set to serve until the end of 2028
- Former attorney at Trail & Dean Law Firm (2000–2016) and Gibson Law Firm (1995–2000)

### Education


### Additional information

- City Attorney for Osceola since 2016.
- Extensive experience in domestic relations, contracts, personal injury, guardianships, bankruptcies, real estate, and other matters before multiple Arkansas courts.
- Dean emphasizes fairness, integrity, and equal treatment for defendants with similar charges and histories, while recognizing case‐by‐case differences.
- Ensuring consistent sentencing for similar cases.
- Addressing child support enforcement disparities.
- Limiting the number of times a case is reviewed before an initial warrant affidavit.
- Dean presides over the Mississippi County District Court in Osceola, Arkansas, covering a jurisdiction that includes Osceola and parts of Burdette, Luxora, Victoria, Etowah, Keiser, Driver, Marie, Wilson, Bassett, Joiner, Dyess, Frenchman’s Bayou, Whitton, Denwood, and Birdsong.
- Founding member of the Mississippi County Drug Court team and contributor to the Mental Health Court initiative.