LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders today announced that Kara Ann Petro will serve as the circuit judge of the Eighteenth East Judicial District. She will replace Judge Marcia Hearnsberger, filling the remainder of her term that will expire on December 31, 2024.

“Judge Hearnsberger’s decades of service on the court have had an immeasurable impact on law and justice in Arkansas,” said Governor Sanders. “My dad appointed Judge Hearnsberger twenty-five years ago, and today I have the honor of appointing her successor — Kara Ann Petro. I know Kara is well-qualified to take up this position and continue Judge Hearnsberger’s legacy. Her record as chief deputy prosecuting attorney shows that she is tough on crime and committed to enforcing the law.”

“It will be my great honor to serve as the circuit judge of the Eighteenth East Judicial District,” said Petro. “As a Garland County native, a lifelong Arkansan, and the chief deputy prosecuting attorney for the Eighteenth Judicial District, I know this community well – and I will be proud to continue enforcing the law with toughness, but fairness.”

Kara Ann Petro Bio:
As a Garland County native, Kara Petro graduated from the University of Central Arkansas, with a B.A. in English and a minor in political science, and from the University of Arkansas School of Law. In 2015, Petro decided to leave private practice to pursue criminal trial work. As Chief Deputy Prosecutor, her duties have progressed to encompass capital murders including death penalty cases, rapes, and high-profile violent cases. She also supervises other trial attorneys in the prosecutor’s office. Petro’s reputation in Garland County is tough on crime, yet fair and honest.