Battle to run for circuit judgeship

Hayward M. Battle

Hayward M. Battle, 57, of Bryant is a candidate for the District 22, Division 4 circuit judgeship.

Battle has practiced law in Arkansas for 25 years. Since 1994, Battle has been working with the state Office of Child Support Enforcement. He has supervised the office's legal affairs for Saline, Hot Spring and Grant counties for the past 10 years.

A veteran, Battle served as an Air Force officer and was honorable discharged in 1976. He formerly served as the parole administrator for the state and as assistant Arkansas attorney general.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in education from the University of Central Arkansas in Conway. He earned a Master of Arts degree in public administration from Webster University in St. Louis, Mo., and a juris doctorate degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock's Bowen School of Law.

In addition to having practiced law privately, he was a commissioner on the Arkansas State Claims Commission, having served a five-year term.

In 1987, the state Supreme Court appointed him executive secretary of the Arkansas State Board of Law Examiners, a position that held him responsible for the agency that oversees the licensing of attorneys in Arkansas.

He is licensed to practice law before the U.S. Supreme Court, Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals and U.S. District Court's Eastern and Western Divisions of Arkansas.

Battle has been active in community and civic affairs for a number of years, most notably as chairman of the board of directors of the Urban League of Arkansas. He has served as an adjunct college professor and holds memberships in numerous civic and professional associations.

He is an ordained elder in the Church of God in Christ, and has pursued postgraduate doctoral studies at Trinity Theological Seminary. He serves as a pastor for Faith Temple Church of God in Christ in Pine Bluff and Eagle Rock Church of God in Christ in Little Rock.

A fifth-generation Arkansan, Battle has been married for 37 years to Mamie Ruth Battle, a former public school educator. The couple has four children and six grandchildren.

With the help of Battle's legal leadership, Child Support Office's Benton regional office ranks number one in child-support collection in the South Arkansas region.

His family has long been active in public service. His father, Setroy Battle, 87, is a World War II veteran who served in the European Theater. His mother is Juanita Battle, 81.

"My only brother was killed while serving in Vietnam in 1968," Battle said.

Equal treatment for all people can be expected in his courtroom, he said. "I promise to always be fair, to always be courteous and to treat everyone with dignity," Battle said.

Also seeking the nonpartisan District 22, Division 4 position are Robert Herzfeld and Paul White, both of Benton.