Hon. James S. Dunham is a judge for the 5th Judicial Circuit Court of Arkansas. He was elected to the bench in 2020.
The 5th Judicial Circuit includes Franklin, Johnson, and Pope Counties.
Prior to his election, Dunham was a partner at Dunham & Fought, P.A., having maintained the office in Russellville for thirty years. He also spent twenty-two years as the managing public defender for the 5th Judicial District. His areas of practice included criminal law, domestic law, civil lawsuits, personal injury, probate, guardianships, and Specialty Courts.
He received a B.S. from Arkansas Tech University in 1986. Dunham went on to complete a J.D. at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, William H. Bowen School of Law in 1989.
He was admitted to practice in Arkansas (1989), the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (1991), and the United States District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas (1989).
His memberships have included the Pope County Bar Association (vice president and past president), the Pope County Drug Court Team, and the Pope County Library Board.
Dunham has also served as an appointed member of the Arkansas Supreme Court Committee on Professional Conduct (chairman).
From a civic standpoint, he coached youth sports in the Arkansas River Valley for several years.
Dunham was raised in Atkins, Arkansas, where he attended Atkins High School. His father, Calvin, was a professor at Arkansas Tech University, and his mother, Erma, worked as a first-grade teacher for twenty-five years. Dunham and his wife, Renae, have four children. The family attends St. John’s Catholic Church, where he is a member of the Knights of Columbus.