Josephine L. Hart at a glance
- Current role
- Former Judge
- Current assignment
- Supreme Court of Arkansas
- Jurisdiction
- Arkansas · State
- Judicial service
- Former
Josephine L. Hart
Former Judge · Supreme Court of Arkansas
Biography
Professional career
- Judge, Supreme Court of Arkansas, 2013-present
- Josephine L. Hart - Josephine L. Hart Josephine Linker Hart is an American lawyer and jurist who was an associate justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court from 2012 to 2020
- Josephine Linker Hart is an American lawyer and jurist best known as the first Native American to serve on the Arkansas Supreme Court and one of the first women elected to both of Arkansas’s appellate courts
- She was one of only three women in her law class and the only one to practice law
- Her career spans military leadership, private practice, and high‐level judicial service, reflecting a lifelong dedication to the law and justice
Education
- University of Arkansas School of Law, Fayetteville, in — J.D. (1971)
- Arkansas Tech University in — B.A. (1965)
Additional information
- In 2018, Hart faced a professional misconduct complaint from Pulaski County Judge Wendell Griffen, alleging insufficient time to respond to a ruling removing him from capital cases.
- Born November 20, 1943, in Perryville, Arkansas.
- Date of birth: 1943-01-01
- The matter was investigated, but no formal sanctions were reported.
- Military service Hart served as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army
- Hart was born in Perryville, Arkansas, into a Cherokee family whose ancestral farmland was taken by eminent domain to create Lake Dardanelle when she was nine.
- Hart is remembered as a trailblazer for women and Native Americans in Arkansas law, shaping state jurisprudence through her appellate work and modeling integrity and public service.
- Birth place: Perryville
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures
Remote appearances
Statewide
Arkansas Judiciary publishes electronic-hearing Zoom resources and court-user guides for remote proceedings.
Zoom Guides for Court UsersArkansas Judiciary: Electronic Hearings With Zoom ↗
Recording and broadcasting
Statewide
Arkansas Judiciary publishes state-district-court digital audio recording guidance as an official court resource.
AOC Provisional Guidelines for Digital Audio Recording in State District CourtsArkansas Judiciary: District Courts ↗
Sources
Identity source checked August 22, 2026.
Biography sources checked August 2, 2026.
Supreme Court of Arkansas current judicial profile
Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 22, 2026
View Supreme Court of Arkansas current judicial profile ↗Arkansas Judiciary: Electronic Hearings With Zoom
Statewide source · HTML · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Arkansas Judiciary: Electronic Hearings With Zoom ↗Arkansas Judiciary: District Courts
Statewide source · HTML · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Arkansas Judiciary: District Courts ↗