United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas
United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas | |
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(W.D. Ark.) | |
Location | Judge Isaac C. Parker Federal Building show More locations |
Appeals to | Eighth Circuit |
Established | March 3, 1851 |
Judges | 3 |
Chief Judge | Susan Owens Hickey |
Officers of the court | |
U.S. Attorney | |
U.S. Marshal | Gregory Tabor |
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The United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas (in case citations, W.D. Ark.) is a federal court in the Eighth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).
The District was established on March 3, 1851, with the division of the state into an Eastern and Western district.[1]
The U.S. Courthouse & Post Office in Texarkana is shared with the Eastern District of Texas, making it the sole federal courthouse located in two states and a location of two federal districts.
The United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Arkansas represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court. The current Acting United States Attorney is .
Organization of the court[]
The United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas is one of two federal judicial districts in Arkansas.[2] Court for the District is held at El Dorado, Fayetteville, Fort Smith, Harrison, Hot Springs, and Texarkana.
El Dorado Division comprises the following counties: Ashley, Bradley, Calhoun, Columbia, Ouachita, and Union.
Fayetteville Division comprises the following counties: Benton, Madison, and Washington.
Fort Smith Division comprises the following counties: Crawford, Franklin, Johnson, Logan, Polk, Scott, and Sebastian.
Harrison Division comprises the following counties: Baxter, Boone, Carroll, Marion, Newton, and Searcy.
Hot Springs Division comprises the following counties: Clark, Garland, Hot Spring, Montgomery, and Pike.
Texarkana Division comprises the following counties: Hempstead, Howard, Lafayette, Little River, Miller, Nevada, and Sevier.
Current judges[]
As of February 27, 2019:
# | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Appointed by | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Active | Chief | Senior | ||||||
24 | Chief Judge | Susan O. Hickey | El Dorado | 1955 | 2011–present | 2019–present | — | Obama |
23 | District Judge | Paul K. Holmes III | Fort Smith | 1951 | 2011–present | 2012–2019 | — | Obama |
25 | District Judge | Timothy L. Brooks | Fayetteville | 1964 | 2014–present | — | — | Obama |
20 | Senior Judge | Jimm Larry Hendren | inactive | 1940 | 1992–2012 | 1997–2012 | 2012–present | G.H.W. Bush |
22 | Senior Judge | Robert T. Dawson | Fort Smith | 1938 | 1998–2009 | — | 2009–present | Clinton |
Vacancies and pending nominations[]
Seat | Prior judge's duty station | Seat last held by | Vacancy reason | Date of vacancy | Nominee | Date of nomination |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | Fort Smith | Paul K. Holmes III | Senior status | November 10, 2021[3] | – | – |
Former judges[]
# | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Daniel Ringo | AR | 1803–1873 | 1851–1861[Note 1][Note 2] | — | — | Taylor | resignation |
2 | Henry Clay Caldwell | AR | 1832–1915 | 1864–1871[Note 2] | — | — | Lincoln | seat abolished |
3 | William Story | AR | 1843–1921 | 1871–1874 | — | — | Grant | resignation |
4 | Isaac Charles Parker | AR | 1838–1896 | 1875–1896 | — | — | Grant | death |
5 | John Henry Rogers | AR | 1845–1911 | 1896–1911[Note 3] | — | — | Cleveland | death |
6 | Frank A. Youmans | AR | 1860–1932 | 1911–1932 | — | — | Taft | death |
7 | Heartsill Ragon | AR | 1885–1940 | 1933–1940 | — | — | F. Roosevelt | death |
8 | Harry Jacob Lemley | AR | 1883–1965 | 1939–1958[Note 2] | 1948–1958 | 1958–1965 | F. Roosevelt | death |
9 | John E. Miller | AR | 1888–1981 | 1941–1967 | 1958–1967 | 1967–1981 | F. Roosevelt | death |
10 | J. Smith Henley | AR | 1917–1997 | 1959–1975[Note 2] | — | — | Eisenhower | elevation to 8th Cir. |
11 | Oren Harris | AR | 1903–1997 | 1965–1976[Note 2] | 1967–1973 | 1976–1997 | L. Johnson | death |
12 | Paul X. Williams | AR | 1908–1994 | 1967–1981 | 1973–1981 | 1981–1994 | L. Johnson | death |
13 | Terry Shell | AR | 1922–1978 | 1975–1978 | — | — | Ford | death |
14 | Elsijane Trimble Roy | AR | 1916–2007 | 1977–1989[Note 2] | — | 1989–1990[Note 4] | Carter | seat abolished |
15 | Richard S. Arnold | AR | 1936–2004 | 1978–1980[Note 2] | — | — | Carter | elevation to 8th Cir. |
16 | George Howard Jr. | AR | 1924–2007 | 1980–1990[Note 5] | — | — | Carter | seat abolished |
17 | Hugh Franklin Waters | AR | 1932–2002 | 1981–1997 | 1981–1997 | 1997–2002 | Reagan | death |
18 | Morris S. Arnold | AR | 1941–present | 1985–1992 | — | — | Reagan | elevation to 8th Cir. |
19 | Susan Webber Wright | AR | 1948–present | 1990–1990[Note 6] | — | — | G.H.W. Bush | seat abolished |
21 | Harry F. Barnes | AR | 1932–2019 | 1993–2008 | — | 2008–2019 | Clinton | death |
- ^ Reassigned from the District of Arkansas
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Jointly appointed to the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas
- ^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on December 8, 1896, confirmed by the United States Senate on December 15, 1896, and received commission the same day
- ^ From 1989 to 1990, Judge Roy served as a Senior Judge of the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas.
- ^ From 1980 to 1990, Judge Howard was jointly appointed to the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas.
- ^ From 1990 to 1990, Judge Wright was jointly appointed to the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas.
Chief judges[]
Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their district court. Unlike the Supreme Court, where one justice is specifically nominated to be chief, the office of chief judge rotates among the district court judges. To be chief, a judge must have been in active service on the court for at least one year, be under the age of 65, and have not previously served as chief judge. A vacancy is filled by the judge highest in seniority among the group of qualified judges. The chief judge serves for a term of seven years or until age 70, whichever occurs first. The age restrictions are waived if no members of the court would otherwise be qualified for the position.
When the office was created in 1948, the chief judge was the longest-serving judge who had not elected to retire on what has since 1958 been known as senior status or declined to serve as chief judge. After August 6, 1959, judges could not become or remain chief after turning 70 years old. The current rules have been in operation since October 1, 1982.
Succession of seats[]
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See also[]
- Courts of Arkansas
- List of current United States district judges
- List of United States federal courthouses in Arkansas
References[]
- ^ http://www.fjc.gov/history/home.nsf/page/courts_district_ar.html U.S. District Courts of Arkansas, Legislative history, Federal Judicial Center
- ^ 28 U.S.C. § 83
- ^ Future Judicial Vacancies
External links[]
- United States district courts
- Arkansas law
- Courts and tribunals established in 1851
- 1851 establishments in Arkansas
- Fayetteville, Arkansas
- Fort Smith, Arkansas
- Hot Springs, Arkansas
- Harrison, Arkansas micropolitan area
- Texarkana, Arkansas