Karen Whatley at a glance
- Current role
- Circuit Judge
- Jurisdiction
- Arkansas · State
- Judicial service
- Active
Karen Whatley
Circuit Judge · Sixth Judicial Circuit
Biography
Professional career
- Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Arkansas for 13 years
Education
- B.A. from Arkansas Tech University and her J.D. from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law.
Additional information
- Director of Legislative and Agency Affairs under Governor Hutchinson
- Chief Legal Counsel to Governor Asa Hutchinson
- Practiced in the litigation department of Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard for four years
- State courts: Arkansas Supreme Court, Arkansas Court of Appeals, Arkansas Circuit Courts, Arkansas District Courts
- Federal courts: Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, U.S. District Courts for Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas, U.S. Bankruptcy Courts for Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas
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 26, 2026.
Biography sources checked July 26, 2026.
Arkansas Judiciary official judicial roster
Identity source · HTML · Source checked July 26, 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 ↗