Editor's Note: The following was submitted by the candidate.
Lee Benjamin Warden is a local attorney who has announced that he is running for district court judge of Union County.
He has spent the last five years as a deputy prosecutor in Union County. He grew up in Fayetteville and attended undergraduate studies and law school at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. In law school, he was a member of the Law Review and several legal competition teams. After graduating from law school, he worked for a private law firm in Fort Smith for two years, practicing primarily insurance defense before to moving to El Dorado to become a deputy prosecutor.
Warden has appeared in Union County District Court approximately 500 times since moving to El Dorado. He has tried felony cases to juries in Circuit Court. He is also responsible for handling mental and drug/alcohol commitments in Union County.
Warden said he decided to run for district court judge because he “loves his community and wants to serve and make a positive difference. He believes every citizen is entitled to justice and respect.
He said he would be a fair and impartial judge and “will hold people accountable for their actions and, when appropriate, endeavor to get help for those who need it.” Warden said he will also be available at all times to law enforcement to review and sign warrants, including blood warrants for driving while intoxicated offenses.
Warden is married to Lensa Odima-Warden, from Kenya. The Wardens have two girls, Zoey (2 years) and Zara (4 months). In his free time, Warden said he “loves to golf, shoot his bow and root for the Hogs.”