Kara Petro at a glance
- Current role
- District Judge
- Jurisdiction
- Arkansas · State
- Judicial service
- Active
Kara Petro
District Judge · Arkansas State District Court, Judicial District 41
Biography
Professional career
- As of 2025, Petro is listed as District Judge for Garland County
- Kara Ann Petro is the appointed Circuit Judge of Arkansas’s Eighteenth East Judicial District in Garland County, serving until the end of Judge Marcia Hearnsberger’s term in December 2024
- Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for the Eighteenth Judicial District (2015–2023)
- Law Clerk at Farrar Law Firm (2012–2013)
Education
- She graduated with a B.A. in English (minor in political science) from the University of Central Arkansas
Additional information
- Prosecuting Attorney and Associate Attorney in private practice.
- Also recognized in official city directories for her judicial role in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
- overseeing capital murder, rape, and other high-profile violent cases.
- J.D. from the.
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 July 29, 2026.
Biography sources checked July 29, 2026.
Arkansas Judiciary official judicial roster
Identity source · HTML · Source checked July 29, 2026
View Arkansas Judiciary official judicial roster ↗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 ↗