COMMUNITY // Youth
Judge Wendell Griffen Eyes Pulaski County Judge Seat in 2026
Dianna D. Donahue - 04.14.2025
April 10, 2026, URBANE Magazine was on the scene as Hearne Fine Art Gallery hosted a fundraiser event in honor of the Exploratory Committee for Judge Wendell Griffen who is running for Pulaski County Judge in 2026.
Held in the heart of Little Rock’s Paul Laurence Dunbar School Neighborhood Historic District, the gathering brought together legal professionals, community leaders, supporters, and visionaries rallying behind a shared mission: building a stronger, more united Pulaski County.
Retired Judge Wendell Griffen, known for his powerful voice and unwavering commitment to justice, publicly shared the committee’s bold vision—a vision grounded in service, equity, and community growth.
After 24 years of service as a Court of Appeals and circuit judge in central Arkansas, Griffen had once declared he would retire from public service for good. But two trusted individuals influenced the change of heart: committee member Charles Bolden and the late civil rights attorney John Walker. In a 2024 blog post, Griffen delves deeper into why he's stepping out of retirement and back into the political arena to campaign:
Held in the heart of Little Rock’s Paul Laurence Dunbar School Neighborhood Historic District, the gathering brought together legal professionals, community leaders, supporters, and visionaries rallying behind a shared mission: building a stronger, more united Pulaski County.
Retired Judge Wendell Griffen, known for his powerful voice and unwavering commitment to justice, publicly shared the committee’s bold vision—a vision grounded in service, equity, and community growth.
After 24 years of service as a Court of Appeals and circuit judge in central Arkansas, Griffen had once declared he would retire from public service for good. But two trusted individuals influenced the change of heart: committee member Charles Bolden and the late civil rights attorney John Walker. In a 2024 blog post, Griffen delves deeper into why he's stepping out of retirement and back into the political arena to campaign:
“The short answer is because I want to serve the more than 400,000 people who call Pulaski County our home.
Whether we were born here, moved here to study, teach, do research, obtain health care, retire, or for other reasons, Pulaski County is our Community. I want to help our Community learn, work, and grow, by celebrating and promoting the fact that Pulaski County is home to wonderful people, the seat of state government, and a great place to study, teach, serve, earn, grow, and enjoy the benefits of nature, cultures, languages, the arts, science, technology, and commitment to service.
That last factor – commitment to service – is what I have to offer Pulaski County. […] Commitment to service has marked our (his and his wife's) professional, religious, social, cultural, and leisure activities.”
That commitment, he shared, isn’t just personal—it’s also collective. Nearly 40 people have joined his Exploratory Committee, a testament to the growing support behind his vision along with the several dozens who were in attendance. He issued a charge to supporters: challenge cynicism, curb overconfidence, and activate the next generation.
“We need to do this because our children’s children need to be able to live in a county where the county is acting like a community for the coming future. […] We have the most diverse county in this state. We have the most institutions of higher education in any county in the state. We have the most medical facilities in the state. Why is it that we can’t have the most access to education, higher education, and medical care? Part of that has to do with the vision of the county.”
Griffen spoke passionately about the disparities that persist in Arkansas’s most diverse and institutionally rich county. He noted the political history of Pulaski County, pointing out that only four Republicans have held the position of county judge since Reconstruction—in 1956, 1972, 1984, and 1988.
“Whoever wins the democratic primary becomes county judge,” he explained. “So the job we have is to win the primary. And that is a matter of simply us galvanizing our support and doing the job."
GET INVOLVED
For those interested in supporting the campaign, contributions can be made online at www.griffen4pulaskicounty.org or mailed to:
PO Box 45185, Little Rock, AR 72214
Checks should be made payable to: Exploratory Committee for Judge Wendell Griffen.
Stay connected with URBANE Magazine as we continue to follow the campaign trail and shine a light on the leaders shaping our communities.
“Whoever wins the democratic primary becomes county judge,” he explained. “So the job we have is to win the primary. And that is a matter of simply us galvanizing our support and doing the job."
GET INVOLVED
For those interested in supporting the campaign, contributions can be made online at www.griffen4pulaskicounty.org or mailed to:
PO Box 45185, Little Rock, AR 72214
Checks should be made payable to: Exploratory Committee for Judge Wendell Griffen.
Stay connected with URBANE Magazine as we continue to follow the campaign trail and shine a light on the leaders shaping our communities.
