Karen Renee Baker (born 1963)[citation needed] is an American lawyer who has served as the chief justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court since 2025. Baker was first elected to the state Supreme Court in 2010. Prior to serving as justice on the Arkansas Supreme Court, Baker served as associate judge for the Arkansas Court of Appeals from 2001 to 2010, as 20th Judicial District Circuit/Chancery Judge from 1997 to 2000, and as 20th Judicial District Circuit/Chancery/Juvenile Judge from 1995 to 1996. She was also the public defender for Van Buren and Searcy counties from 1989 to 1995. Baker earned her undergraduate degree from Arkansas Tech University in 1983, and her Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law School in 1987.[1]
