TEXARKANA, Ark. - Dozens of friends, family members, fellow judges and well-wishers collected inside a local courtroom Monday afternoon, which they knew to be familiar scenery for Kirk Johnson but soon won't be.
After spending about 45 years in law practice, Johnson will retire Dec. 31 from his position as one of Arkansas' South 8th Judicial District judges.
"The time has gone by fast, but I still plan to stay around for awhile in this area of law practice," Johnson said during his reception at the Miller County Courthouse.
Born in Louisiana and raised in Texarkana, Arkansas, Johnson graduated from Arkansas High School, class of 1967, before going on to the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. He started as chemistry major, but soon decided to get an undergraduate degree in business administration. Johnson said business studies led to his interest in law, and upon completing his undergraduate work in business, he stayed at UA-Fayetteville to finish law school.
Johnson's law career started in 1975 as regional attorney for the state's Department of Human Services - before moving on after two years to become a deputy prosecutor for the 8th South Judicial District from 1977 to 1983. From there, Johnson went on to be a prosecutor for the district for four years before four years of private law practice, starting in 1987.
Johnson went back into public service as Arkansas-side's municipal judge from 1991 to 2003, followed by serving the last 18 years as one of the 8th South Judicial District's four judges.
"Of all the cases the job involved, I think my favorite would be adoption cases,"Johnson said.
In tribute to Johnson's service, Miller County Treasurer Teresa Reed said she is proud of the work Johnson did as a prosecutor in a case when her uncle, Charles Barnes, who was serving as a Miller County Sheriff's deputy at the time, was gunned down and killed by shooting suspects in the early 1980s.
"Kirk worked a long time on the case when he was a prosecutor, and he was like family to us," Reed said.
Miller County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Connie Mitchell said Johnson's ability to judge criminal cases was stellar.
Kirk had a great amount of court knowledge and he was always fair to everyone, she said.
As to his future, Johnson said he plans to be a visiting judge for the Arkansas State Supreme Court.