Hon. Karen D. Whatley

Karen Whatley is a judge serving on the Arkansas 6th Judicial Circuit Division 7, having assumed office on March 1, 2022. She was appointed to the position by Governor Asa Hutchinson on January 26, 2022, succeeding Barry Sims. Prior to her judicial appointment, Whatley served as Governor Hutchinson’s Chief Legal Counsel and Director of Legislative and Agency Affairs. She also practiced litigation for four years at Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard and spent 13 years as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Arkansas. Whatley earned a Bachelor of Arts from Arkansas Tech University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law.