EL DORADO, Ark. — Jennifer Thornton Stone has officially announced her candidacy for the position of Circuit Judge in Division 6 of the 13th Judicial District of Arkansas, a region that encompasses Union, Ouachita, Columbia, Calhoun, Dallas, and Cleveland counties.
Stone, a graduate of El Dorado High School in 1987, earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville in May 1991. She then attended the UALR William H. Bowen School of Law, where she received her law degree in May 1994. Stone gained admission to the Arkansas Bar in March 1995.
After her bar admission, she briefly served as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for Union County in early 1996 and worked alongside her father as a law clerk and attorney until May of that year. Since then, Stone has dedicated her career to the Center for Arkansas Legal Services (CALS), where she has worked from May 1996 to the present, spending 26 years as the Managing Attorney for the El Dorado office.
Throughout her professional journey, Stone has focused on advocating for low-income individuals in various civil, domestic, and probate issues. Prior to her tenure at CALS, she spent a year practicing with her father, specializing in Social Security disability and SSI cases. Stone has also served as parent counsel in dependency and neglect cases in Nevada County during the early years of her work at CALS, enhancing her experience in family law and probate matters, which she believes is crucial for the role she seeks.
The daughter of Denver L. Thornton and Jan Hearnsberger, and step-daughter of Robin Bandy Thornton, Stone finds joy in family life with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Jill. They share their home with two dogs, Abbey and Gracie, and two horses, Jasmine and Jack.
In addition to her legal work, Stone has held various leadership roles in her community. She was a board member and tutor for the Union County Literacy Council from 1999 to 2004, served as president of the Union County Bar in 2001, and held positions on the Camp Fire Board from 2011 to 2017, including a term as president from 2013 to 2014. At First United Methodist Church, she contributed as Kindergarten Board Chair from 2010 to 2012 and as Administrative Board Chair from mid-2021 to early 2025. Stone has also been involved with the El Dorado Band Parent Association and the South Arkansas Arts Center, displaying a long-standing commitment to community service.
Focused on issues surrounding families and domestic violence, Stone aims to establish a specialty family law court that will address divorce, child custody, protective orders, adoptions, and guardianships. She envisions this court as a space that understands and manages the unique challenges associated with family law, prioritizing the best interests of children and leveraging resources like social services and community support to help families thrive.
In her campaign message, Stone emphasizes her commitment to treating all parties involved with respect and fairness. She stated that serving as a judge would allow her to continue her passion for impactful legal work and hopes to earn voters’ support in her pursuit of this position.
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