Hon. Mark A. Pate is a judge for the 17th Judicial Circuit Court of Arkansas. He was appointed to the seat by Governor Asa Hutchinson in 2020, filling the vacancy created by the retirement of the Hon. Robert Edwards (Ret.).
The 17th Judicial Circuit includes Prairie and White Counties.
Prior to his appointment, Pate was a judge for the Searcy Department of the White County District Court, a position to which he was elected in 2008.
Before beginning his judicial career, he entered private practice in 1997 and was the City Attorney or Prosecuting Attorney for multiple cities in White County. During that time, Pate was the City Attorney for the City of Bald Knob. In the political arena, he was a representative in the Arkansas House of Representatives, where he served three terms.
Pate received a bachelor’s degree from Harding University. He went on to complete a J.D. at the University of Arkansas School of Law in 1996.
He grew up in Velvet Ridge and Bald Knob in Arkansas and attended Bald Knob High School. Pate later served in the United States Naval Reserves. His mother, Pat Hannah, who also earned a law degree, worked as a teacher in the Judsonia-Griffithville District, and his stepfather, the Hon. Jim Hannah (Ret.), was Chief Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court. His stepbrother, the Hon. Craig Hannah, also presides as a judge for the 17th Judicial Circuit Court.
Pate and his wife, Julie, have one daughter. When not presiding over legal matters, he enjoys doing home improvement projects.