Annabelle Davis Clinton Imber Tuck (born July 15, 1950) is an American lawyer who served as an associate justice of the

Arkansas Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Arkansas is the highest court in the state judiciary of Arkansas. It has ultimate and largely discretionary appellate jurisdiction over all state court cases that involve a point of state law, and original jurisdiction o ...

for thirteen years. The first woman elected to the Arkansas Supreme Court, Imber is best known for a case she handled while she was a chancery judge in the 6th Judicial District (Perry and Pulaski counties).

Early life and career

Tuck was born in

Heber Springs, Arkansas Heber Springs is a city in and the county seat of Cleburne County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 7,165 at the 2010 census. Geography Heber Springs is located near the center of Cleburne County at (35.494329, −92.039168). Arkansa ...

and spent early years in

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and

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

as her father moved for jobs within the

International Cooperation Administration The International Cooperation Administration (ICA) was a United States government agency operating from June 30, 1955 until September 4, 1961, responsible for foreign assistance and 'nonmilitary security' programs. It was the predecessor of the ...

. She later moved to the

Washington metropolitan area The Washington metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the National Capital Region, is the metropolitan area centered on Washington, D.C. The metropolitan area includes all of Washington, D.C. and parts of the states of Maryland, Virgin ...

, living with family and attending

Prince George's County Public Schools Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS) is a large public school district administered by the government of Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, and is overseen by the Maryland State Department of Education. The school system is ...

, graduating from

Crossland High School Crossland High School is a public secondary school located in Camp Springs census-designated place, unincorporated Prince George's County, Maryland, with Temple Hills postal address.Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith (Smith College ...

Northampton, Massachusetts The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of Northampton (including its outer villages, Florence and Leeds) was 29,571. Northampton is known as an acade ...

and her

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

degree from the

University of Arkansas at Little Rock The University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UA Little Rock) is a public research university in Little Rock, Arkansas. Established as Little Rock Junior College by the Little Rock School District in 1927, the institution became a private four-year ...

while working as a

paralegal A paralegal, also known as a legal assistant, or paralegal specialist is a professional who performs tasks that require knowledge of legal concepts but not the full expertise of a lawyer with a license to practice law. The market for paralegals i ...

. Prior to taking the bench, Imber was in private practice for several years with the Little Rock law firm of Wright, Lindsey & Jennings. In 1984,

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

(no relation to her then-husband) appointed her to a vacant criminal division judgeship on the Pulaski County Circuit Court. In 1988, she was elected chancery and probate judge for Pulaski and Perry counties. In 1994, she issued a landmark ruling in the school-funding case filed by the tiny Lake View School District that declared the state was violating the

Arkansas Constitution The Constitution of Arkansas is the primary organizing law for the U.S. state of Arkansas delineating the duties, powers, structures, and functions of the state government. Arkansas' original constitution was adopted at a constitutional conv ...

by funding districts inequitably.

Supreme Court

Imber was elected to the Supreme Court in 1997 without opposition, after serving eight years as an elected chancery and probate court judge for Pulaski and Perry counties. She was reelected twice. On September 10, 2009, Imber announced plans to retire from the bench. She retired January 1, 2010.

References

External links

Interview for the Arkansas Supreme Court Historical Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Imber, Annabelle Clinton 1950 births Living people 20th-century women judges 21st-century women judges American women judges American women lawyers Arkansas state court judges Justices of the Arkansas Supreme Court Smith College alumni University of Arkansas at Little Rock alumni