Judge Wayne Gruber

Judge Wayne Gruber has served Pulaski County as District Judge since March 2001. Prior to his election, he was in private practice as a partner in the Gruber Law Firm for twenty years.

In 1975, Judge Gruber earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Arkansas. In 1976, he earned a Masters of Social Work, also from the University of Arkansas. Judge Gruber earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, School of Law in 1979.

Judge Gruber retired from the Arkansas National Guard 189th Airlift Wing, where he served as Judge Advocate sixteen years and his last ten years as Staff Judge Advocate. Prior to serving in the guard, he served four years active duty at the Little Rock Air Force Base.

From 1996 – 1997, as an attorney, Judge Gruber served as the President of the Pulaski County Bar Association. After he was elected as Pulaski County District Judge, the Bar Association has recognized him as District Judge of the Year in 2001, 2009 and 2014. In 2015, he served as President of the Arkansas District Judges’ Council and was the recipient of the Pulaski County Bar Association’s Lawyer Citizen Award in 2018.

One of Judge Gruber’s proudest accomplishments is the implementation of the Pulaski County District Court DWI/Sobriety Court Program, a national model sponsored by the National Highway Safety and Transportation Administration. One of only twelve statewide programs, it is designed to reduce the number of DWI offenses by providing alternative sentencing including counseling and treatment.