Rita W. Gruber

Judge Rita W. Gruber was elected to the Court of Appeals on May 20, 2008 and took office January 1, 2009. Judge Gruber was born in North Little Rock and educated in the public schools in Pulaski County. She received a BA (1973 UALR) and JD (1979 University of Arkansas at Little Rock, now the Bowen School of Law). She completed eighteen years as a Circuit Judge for the Sixth Judicial District on December 31, 2008. While serving on the trial bench, she helped establish a Volunteer Probation Officer program to work with first time juvenile offenders. She also established a specialized teen parenting program, a truancy alternative school and helped plan the CSTP juvenile boot camp at Camp Robinson. Before her election as Circuit Judge she served as interim Pulaski County Judge and had a ten year law practice in North Little Rock, Arkansas. She is a member and has served on many committees with the Pulaski County and Arkansas Bar Associations as well as being a member of the American Bar Association. Judge Gruber is very active in her community serving on many boards and committees. She worked closely with the Bowen School of Law developing mediation programming, particularly for juvenile cases. She is currently serving a term on the UALR School of Law Leadership Advisory Board. She is married to Judge Wayne A. Gruber and has two adult children, Regan and Will. She is a long term member of Lakewood United Methodist Church.