---
title: "Cathleen Compton | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/cathleen-compton-circuit-judge-sixth-judicial-circuit-sixth-judicial-circuit-division-3-ar"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-07"
---

# Cathleen Compton

Sixth Judicial Circuit · Circuit Judge

## Profile

- Court: Sixth Judicial Circuit
- State: Arkansas
- Role: Circuit Judge
- Service status: active
- Last verified: 2026-07-26

## 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/circuit-judges)
- [Official roster](https://arcourts.gov/directories/circuit-judges)
- [Arkansas Judiciary official judicial roster](https://arcourts.gov/directories/circuit-judges)
- [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

- Judge Compton announced her upcoming retirement at the end of her term, prompting candidates such as Jesse Gibson and Robert Tellez to run for her seat in the 6th Judicial District, Division 3

### Education

- Bachelor’s degree from the University of Arkansas and completed her J.D. at the University of Arkansas School of Law in 1985.

### Additional information

- Notably, she ruled in January 2026 that a candidate for the Arkansas House could remain on the Republican primary ballot after a bond forfeiture, determining that the candidate had not been convicted of a crime.
- Elected to the 6th Judicial Circuit Court in 2014 and took office in January 2015
- Compton was admitted to practice law in Arkansas in 1985 and in the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas.
- During her tenure on the bench, Judge Compton has presided over a variety of civil and criminal cases.
- Before her judicial career, she spent nearly 30 years in private practice and also held the role of an assistant attorney general with the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office.
- She also ruled on eligibility issues for other candidates, demonstrating her role in interpreting election law and ensuring compliance with state statutes.
- overseeing Pulaski and Perry Counties.
- Her retirement marks the conclusion of over a decade of service on the circuit bench.