Above: Justice Barbara Webb. Photo courtesy of Arkansas Judiciary.
Arkansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Karen Baker has formally requested that Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders appoint a temporary special justice to fill the seat of Associate Justice Barbara Webb, of Benton, Arkansas, who is recovering from a head injury.
The request, made in a letter on Monday, comes as Webb’s family anticipates her potential return for the court’s fall term but seeks a temporary replacement to ensure the court remains at its full constitutional capacity during her recovery. Read more below.
In May, Justice Webb sustained a head injury following a fall at her home while doing laundry late in the evening, according to her husband Doyle Webb. She has since been undergoing treatment for the injury at a medical facility in Houston, Texas.
According to her husband, Doyle Webb, she is scheduled to return to Little Rock to undergo one additional surgery at UAMS, which will be followed by an unspecified recovery period. Doyle Webb stated that he advised Chief Justice Baker of his wife’s condition, noting that while Justice Webb anticipates returning to her duties in time for the Supreme Court’s fall term, they requested a temporary replacement in the event her recovery requires more time than currently expected.
In her letter to Governor Sanders on Monday, August 10, 2026, Chief Justice Baker formally certified that Justice Webb is temporarily unable to perform her judicial duties. Rather than requesting that a separate special justice be appointed for each individual case during her absence, Baker requested the appointment of a single temporary special justice who can handle all of Webb’s duties until she is able to resume them.
Under Amendment 80, Section 13(A) of the Arkansas Constitution, if a Supreme Court Justice is temporarily unable to serve, the Chief Justice certifies this to the Governor, who then has 30 days to commission a Special Justice. The temporary appointment will expire as soon as Webb notifies the Supreme Court that she is ready and able to return.
Under state constitutional requirements, the Arkansas Supreme Court must be composed of seven justices to function at full capacity. The transition to a temporary replacement ensures that the court will avoid potential delays or split decisions in upcoming cases during the transition period.
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