Left: Arkansas Circuit Court Judge Stephen Shirron (re-election campaign photo). Right: Former Arkansas Circuit Court Judge Chris Williams (Arkansas.gov).
A judge in Arkansas has taken an unusual step to address concerns about celebrating judicial misconduct. In a recent directive, Judge Stephen Shirron of the 7th Judicial Circuit has mandated that a disciplinary letter be displayed beneath the portrait of a former judge who resigned under a cloud of controversy.
The directive from Judge Shirron concerns former Judge Chris Williams, who served in the 7th Judicial Circuit’s First Division. According to an announcement by the Arkansas Judicial Discipline & Disability Commission (JDDC) on March 28, 2024, Williams’ resignation became effective two days later and was regarded as a “removal from office.” This came in the wake of an investigation into alleged misconduct, although specifics of the investigation remain undisclosed, as reported by the Arkansas Times.
With the resignation, Williams agreed not to seek or accept any future judicial or public office positions in Arkansas. Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders has been tasked with appointing his successor.
Judge Shirron expressed that the removal of Williams from the bench left a significant impact, describing it as a “dark chapter” that should not be celebrated. He emphasized the rarity of such an event, noting that Williams is the first judge in Hot Spring County—and the state since March 2024—to be removed due to judicial misconduct.
“This has undoubtedly cast a long shadow over our judiciary and the local legal community,” Shirron remarked. He was surprised to learn on October 13 that Williams intended to hang his portrait in the Hot Spring County Courtroom, prompting Shirron’s decision to counteract what he sees as a potential celebration of corruption.
“Needless to say, this cast a long shadow over the judiciary and the local bar,” he continued, adding that he hoped the saga was over, until on Oct. 13, he learned Williams “had a portrait of himself framed, and that he planned to hang it in the Hot Spring County Courtroom.”
Such an action is not commonly undertaken by the judge themselves, according to Shirron, but the local bar association in each county. The associations would pay for the portrait “of each retiring judge” and hold a “celebration of the esteemed jurist for his dedicated and honorable service to our citizens with a public portrait unveiling.”
Williams reportedly went another route.
Shirron said he learned from the Hot Spring County Bar Association that it “had no involvement” with the portrait “and the members had not even so much as been made aware of the unveiling” held on Oct. 16. Furthermore, the date of its planning “fell directly in the midst of the fall Judicial Council Meeting” held hours away, “and the judges of the district would be out of town.”
“This quietly orchestrated secret ceremony is vastly divergent from the historical practice of this district,” the administrative judge added.
In addition to citing his “negotiation” with the JDDC, Williams mentioned his “health” and “advancing age” as reasons for his resignation. He said he served the state and its 7th Judicial Circuit for more than 20 years.
More than 18 months later, his portrait was unveiled. And Shirron was less than pleased about the ode to a man he suggested didn’t deserve it.
“As Judges and lawyers, we should hold ourselves and our peers to the highest ethical standards. Without accountability, trust in justice erodes, undermining fairness and public confidence. Integrity is the backbone of the system the people trust to uphold the rule of law,” Shirron wrote in his Monday order.
“As a Circuit Judge, it is our obligation to exercise superintending control over our courtrooms. We cannot stand idly by and allow a celebration of corruption in our courtrooms without speaking up,” he added.
Shirron concluded by quoting Anglo-Irish politician and philosopher Edmund Burke: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
He also stated his plan.
“As the Administrative Circuit Judge of the 7th Judicial Circuit, I have directed that a framed copy of the official JDDC Press Release be hung in the courtroom, immediately below the portrait of Chris Williams during all court proceedings, to make clear the irrefutable historical context,” Shirron wrote.
