Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – One of three candidates who have filed for the Division 5 At-Large Circuit Judge position in Arkansas’s Second Judicial District—covering Clay, Greene, Craighead, Poinsett, Mississippi, and Crittenden counties—is being accused of violating state laws related to voter registration and perjury.
Attorney Luther Sutter filed to run for the circuit judge position on November 10, 2025. The incumbent, Circuit Judge Charles “Skip” Mooney Jr., has filed for re-election. Attorney Matthew (Brian) Miles has also filed for the seat.
Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox says he has uncovered potential criminal conduct by Sutter and has forwarded the information to prosecutors. According to an Arkansas Democrat-Gazette article by John Lynch, Fox believes Sutter may have lied under oath about his residency. Fox outlined his findings in a December 2 recusal order withdrawing from a three-year-old car-crash lawsuit brought by Sutter and his wife, in which Sutter served as their attorney.
Lynch reported that Sutter denied any wrongdoing and said he was surprised by Fox’s accusations. Sutter told Lynch that he and Fox had always maintained a cordial professional relationship and that he intends to pursue legal action. He also said he has not been contacted regarding any investigation.
“Never in a million years would I have thought that Tim Fox would engage in such inappropriate behavior,” Sutter told Lynch. “I have defended him many times, but this is indefensible, and I intend to hold him accountable in court.”
According to Fox’s order, Sutter gave a sworn statement during a June 2024 deposition in the lawsuit stating that his “permanent residence” was in Gulf Shores, Alabama, and had been for “a couple of years.”
Fox said public records appear to contradict that statement. Voter registration records show Sutter was registered to vote in Pulaski County at the time and cast a ballot there in October 2024.
Fox also noted that as a current judicial candidate, Sutter has provided a sworn statement indicating his “permanent address” is within the six-county Second Judicial District. Sutter’s 2025 voter registration lists a Jonesboro address, which would make him eligible to run for the position.
In his November 10, 2025, candidate filing, Sutter listed his address as 1300 South Church Street in Jonesboro. That address corresponds to the Cambridge Court Condominium community, built in the early 1990s.
Craighead County real estate records show that condominium unit N-7 was sold to Luther Sutter and Pamela Pfeifer for $88,000 on October 30, 2025. The property was transferred the following day to a corporation, JASAAN, LLC.
JASAAN, LLC is registered as a foreign (Colorado) limited liability company, formed in July 2020. Online records list Jacob O’Neal Sutter as the manager and incorporator.
Property records also show JASAAN, LLC owns property at 13208 Natural Steps Drive in Roland (Pulaski County) and property at 5 Statehouse Plaza, Suite 7C. The Roland address appears to be a residential property, while the Statehouse Plaza address is located in a business and office area.
Alabama parcel records indicate that Luther Sutter and Pamela Pfeifer own property at 1324 Lagoon Avenue in Gulf Shores. Online photos show the property to be a beachfront residence.
Prosecutors declined to say whether any investigation is ongoing. According to the Democrat-Gazette, Pulaski County Prosecutor Will Jones said his standard procedure is to refer such matters to law enforcement for review, which he has done.
Sonia Hagood, prosecuting attorney for the Second Judicial District, issued a brief statement: “My office has received (Fox’s ruling) but cannot comment on what, if any, action is taken.”
No court has ruled that Sutter violated voter registration or perjury laws, and no charges have been filed.
The timing of Sutter’s candidacy followed disputes involving incumbent Judge Mooney, as reflected in court records.
JRN reviewed filings in a Crittenden County estate case involving the estate of Deodis Jones Jr. The case was filed in October 2024 by Estella Jones, identified in court filings as the mother of one of the decedent’s minor children. Jones was represented by Sutter.
While the underlying facts of the case and its 59 filings are unrelated to the judicial race, statements allegedly made in open court are relevant.
In an October 30, 2025, order denying Sutter’s motion to recuse, Mooney referenced an incident from September 26, 2025. Mooney wrote that Sutter announced in open court that he had intended to establish residency in the Second Judicial District to run against Prosecuting Attorney Sonia Hagood, but later changed his plan to run against Mooney instead.
In the order, Mooney wrote:
“EJ’s attorney (Sutter) announced in open court some excuse as to why he was late for court and that he now had the defendant’s consent for the case to be continued on the defendant’s motion. He then proceeded to announce on the record that he had intended to set up a residency so he could run against Ms. Sonia Hagood, the Prosecuting Attorney for the Second Judicial Circuit, but that since the Court had violated his due process rights at the hearing, he was now going to run against this Judge (Mooney) in the next election. This type of conduct is not only bizarre but unprofessional.”
The same day Mooney issued the order denying the recusal motion — Oct. 30— Sutter purchased the Cambridge Court condominium in Jonesboro. He filed for candidacy ten days later, on Nov. 10.
Sutter also filed another motion that day, requesting that Mooney recuse himself due to the fact that they were now opposing candidates. In the motion, Sutter wrote:
“I committed months ago to run against the Prosecutor because of the questionable decisions she had made. Unfortunately, I can’t keep that commitment, much to my dismay. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would run against Skip Mooney. But here we are. Judge, I will be filing a Motion to Recuse and to Alter or Amend your unconstitutional order tonight. I demand a hearing.”
Circuit Judge Mary Broadway granted Sutter’s recusal motion on December 10.
Despite the controversy, Sutter has had a lengthy legal career. An attorney for 30 years, Sutter is known for his work in employment law and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Early in his career, he argued one of the nation’s first Family and Medical Leave Act cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Along with law partner Lucien Gillham, Sutter represents clients in civil rights litigation and aviation law, including pilots challenging actions by the Federal Aviation Administration. He has frequently been named a “Super Lawyer,” a peer-awarded designation recognizing top attorneys nationwide.
Sutter and Gillham represented Rachel Anderson, a former Jonesboro Police Department senior video analyst with the Real Time Crime Center, in a wrongful termination lawsuit against Mayor Harold Copenhaver and Police Chief Rick Elliott. The lawsuit, filed in December 2023, was settled in April 2024. Anderson was awarded $99,000, and her termination letter was changed to a resignation in her personnel file.
“His law office is in Little Rock,” Anderson told JonesboroRightNow. “Every time I dealt with him, I met him there.”
According to the Democrat-Gazette, Sutter ran unsuccessfully in 2014 for a Pine Bluff-based judgeship in the 11th Circuit Court West after moving to Jefferson County to challenge incumbent Judge Jodi Dennis. In 2004, he also unsuccessfully challenged Pulaski County Assessor Janet Troutman Ward during her first re-election primary.
JRN reached out to Sutter’s opponents in the Division 5 race for comment. Brian Miles said he had no comment at this time.
“I am focused on my qualifications for circuit judge and why I am the best-suited candidate to address the backlog of cases in Division 5 without scandal,” Miles said.
Judge Mooney declined to comment, saying that as a sitting judge, it would not be appropriate to do so.
John Lynch’s Arkansas Democrat Gazette article contributed to this story. John has been covering criminal cases and civil litigation at the Pulaski County Courthouse for 20 years. In his 35-year career as a reporter and editor, he has also worked at newspapers in Texas and South Carolina.
