United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas

• Court
• Judges

Eastern District of Arkansas Eighth Circuit Chief: Leon Holmes Judges: 5 Posts: 5 Vacancies: 0 Active judges Baker • Marshall • Miller • Carter Senior Judges Eisele • Moody • Wilson Magistrate Judges Cavaneau • Deere • Kearney • Ray • Young Former Judges

Key: (Numbers indicate % of seats vacant.) 0% 0%-10% 10%-25% 25%-40% More than 40%

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas is a United States district court. It is further subdivided into six divisions, which collectively cover 41 Arkansas counties.

When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals based in Downtown St. Louis at the Thomas F. Eagleton Federal Courthouse and Building.

Vacancy warning level

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas's vacancy warning level is currently set at green. The court currently has no vacancies.

Jurisdiction

The Counties of the Eastern District of Arkansas (click for larger map)

The geographic jurisdiction of the Eastern District of Arkansas consists of all the following counties in the eastern part of the state of Arkansas.

There are five court divisions, each covering the following counties:

The Eastern Division, covering Cross, Lee, Monroe, Phillips, St. Francis and Woodruff Counties.

The Jonesboro Division, covering Clay, Craighead, Crittenden, Greene, Lawrence, Mississippi, Poinsett and Randolph Counties.

The Northern Division, covering Cleburne, Fulton, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Sharp and Stone Counties.

The Pine Bluff Division, covering Arkansas, Chicot, Cleveland, Dallas, Desha, Drew, Grant, Jefferson and Lincoln Counties.

The Western Division, covering Conway, Faulkner, Lonoke, Perry, Pope, Prairie, Pulaski, Saline, Van Buren, White and Yell Counties.

When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals based in Lower Manhattan at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Federal Courthouse.

Cases heard

The Eastern District of Arkansas has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.

Case load

Federal Court Case Load Statistics*

Year	Starting case load:	Cases filed:	Total cases:	Cases terminated:	Remaining cases:	Median time(Criminal)**:	Median time(Civil)**:	3 Year Civil cases#:	Vacant posts:##	Trials/Post
2010	8304	3073	11377	2340	9037	13.1	14.4	2989(34.4%)	19.1	23
2009	8288	2872	11160	2734	8426	14.0	7.5	2657(33.5%)	24.0	29
2008	5144	5166	10310	2021	8289	12.5	10.9	1630(20.7%)	6.3	23
2007	4782	2483	7265	2109	5156	12.7	12.7	381(8.0%)	5.3	34
2006	4033	3430	7463	2677	4786	11.9	12.4	127(2.9%)	.0	26

*All statistics are taken from the Official Federal Courts' Website and reflect the calendar year through September.    **Time in months from filing to completion. #This statistic includes cases which have been appealed in higher courts.    ##This is the total number of months that any all judicial posts had spent vacant that year.

Clerk's office

The Eastern District of Arkansas has five separate offices. The Clerk's office is open Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. Please consult the chart below for more information:

Branch	Address	Phone number	Hours
Batesville	490 College Street Batesville, Arkansas 72501	(870) 793-4330	N/A
Helena	617 Walnut Street Helena, Arkansas 72342	(870) 338-6321	N/A
Jonesboro	615 South Main Street Room 312 Jonesboro, Arkansas 72401	(870) 972-4610	M-F, 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Little Rock	600 West Capitol Avenue Little Rock, Arkansas 72201	(501) 604-5351	M-F, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Pine Bluff	100 E 8th Ave., Room 3103 Pine Bluff, Arkansas 71601	(870) 536-1190	M-F, 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

History

Court history

The District of Arkansas was organized by Congress on June 15, 1836 with one post to cover the entire state. The district court in Arkansas was not yet assigned to a judicial circuit, and thus had the same jurisdiction as the United States circuit courts, excluding appeals and writs of error, which are the jurisdiction of the United States Supreme Court.

On March 3, 1851, statute 5 Stat. 176, 177 had the federal judiciary reorganized into nine circuits. This act assigned the district of Arkansas over to the Ninth Circuit, as well as repealed the district court of Arkansas's right to exercise the trial jurisdiction of a United States circuit court. Instead, the act established annual sessions of the U.S. circuit court in the district of Arkansas. Statute 5 Stat. 680 on June 17, 1844, extended the jurisdiction of the district of Arkansas over Indian territory previously annexed to the Territory of Arkansas.

Statute 9 Stat. 594 on March 3, 1851, divided the state of Arkansas into two judicial districts, known as the Eastern and the Western, with one judgeship serving both. The Indian territory was under the jurisdiction of the Western District, while the Eastern District remained in the Ninth Circuit and the Western District was granted that same jurisdiction as the United States circuit courts.

On July 23rd, 1866 Congress assigned Arkansas to the Sixth Circuit, and then to the Eighth Circuit by July 15, 1862. After this, a judgeship was authorized to the Western District on March 3, 1871, and the judgeship previously assigned to serve both districts was made into a judgeship for the Eastern District only.

There was a district court meeting at Helena in the Eastern District of Arkansas on January 31, 1877, and statute 19 Stat. 230 granted the same jurisdiction to the Eastern District of Arkansas as all other United States circuit courts. Statute 25 Stat. 655 repealed the prior statute made before this on February 6, 1889 as well as the Western District's circuit court jurisdiction. Instead the statute established a U.S. circuit court for the Western District of Arkansas and all appropriate cases were transferred to the circuit courts. Over time 4 additional judicial posts were added for a total of 6 current posts.

Judicial posts

The following table highlights the development of judicial posts for the Eastern District of Arkansas:

Year	Statute	Total Seats
June 15, 1836	5 Stat. 50, 51	1
March 3, 1851	9 Stat. 594	1
March 3, 1871	16 Stat. 471	2
May 31, 1938	52 Stat. 584	3
May 19, 1961	75 Stat. 80	4
October 20, 1978	92 Stat, 1629	6
December 1, 1990	104 Stat. 5089	6

Notable cases

For a searchable list of opinions, please see Justia.com-Dockets & Filings-Eastern District of Arkansas.

• Lee County School District Racial Discrimination Case  Judge(s):Leon Holmes      *Sharon Sanders v. Lee County School Dist. No. 1, et al 2:08-cv-00219-JLH

Arkansas: On February 29, 2012, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit partially overturned a ruling of the Eastern District of Arkansas, finding the Lee County School District to be guilty of federal discrimination law. Sharon Sanders, a former school finance coordinator, took the district to court following her demotion and subsequent recommendation for dismissal on the basis of race discrimination. According to court records, Sanders and another administrator were demoted following an election where the school board became comprised of a majority of African American members. In the original suit, Sanders was awarded compensatory damages, lost wages, punitive damages, and attorney's fees by a jury. Upon appeal, a judge of the Eastern District of Arkansas revoked the lost wages and severely cut her award for attorney's fees. The ruling by the Eighth Circuit ordered new proceedings to determine fees for Sanders' attorney and punitive damages, but fundamentally agreed that she had been discriminated against on the basis of race.

School district desegregation case

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas

In December 2012, Judge Marshall ruled that two Arkansas school districts could not be released from federal supervision for complying fully with desegregation. The Pulaski County Special and North Little Rock school districts have been under federal supervision since the 1960's and involved in a case over progress since 1988. Though Judge Marshall did not rule in favor of the school districts, he did suggest short hearings on specific compliance areas in the future, instead of holding one hearing which would last weeks. In addition, Marshall approved a settlement between the district and attorneys who originally brought the suit.

• Death row removal case  Judge(s):Leon Holmes      *Simpson v. Norris 5:04CV00429 JLH

On September 17, 2009, Judge Holmes ruled to commute the death sentence of Sedrice Maurice Simpson, after he spent eleven years on death row. Judge Holmes agreed with Simpson's attorneys that due to his low IQ of 59 that he cannot be executed under state law which prohibits execution of individuals with a IQ below 65. Under the judge's ruling, Simpson will serve two consecutive life sentences for murdering two grocery clerks in Dallas County.

• Jack Harold Jones case  Judge(s):Leon Holmes      *Jones v. Hobbs 5:10CV00065 JLH

On March 12, 2010, Judge Holmes ruled a stay of execution involving convicted murderer Jack Harold Jones, Jr. Jones was scheduled to be executed on March 16, 2010 but had his execution stayed after attorneys challenged the legality of execution under the Arkansas Methods of Execution Act. The judge found that the State of Arkansas requiring lethal injection for executing inmates could be inhumane and unconstitutional under the new law.

Federal courthouse

Five separate courthouses serve the Eastern District of Arkansas.

Major news

For new stories and other related material see Arkansas judicial news.

See also

• United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit

External links

• Official website of the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Arkansas
• Judges of the Eastern District of Arkansas
• Official Website of the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas
• Judges of the Eastern District of Arkansas Judges are listed on the right frame on the front page.

References

Eastern District of Arkansas Eighth Circuit Chief: Leon Holmes Judges: 5 Posts: 5 Vacancies: 0 Active judges Baker • Marshall • Miller • Carter Senior Judges Eisele • Moody • Wilson Magistrate Judges Cavaneau • Deere • Kearney • Ray • Young Former Judges

Key: (Numbers indicate % of seats vacant.) 0% 0%-10% 10%-25% 25%-40% More than 40%

Since the court was established, 24 Article III federal judges have served on it.

Active judges

Article III judges

See: Article III federal judge
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas has 5 posts and 0 vacancies. The current Chief Judge is Brian Miller. This is a list of the current judges on the court:

Judge	Born	Home	Appointed by	Active	Chief	Preceeded	Bachelors	Law
Judge Leon Holmes	1951	Hazen, AR	W. Bush	7/7/2004 - Present	2005 - 7/22/2012	Stephen Reasoner	Arkansas State U., B.A., 1973	U. of Arkansas, J.D., 1982
Judge Susan Carter	1948	Texarkana, AR	H.W. Bush	1/24/1990 - Present	1998 - 2005	Elsijane Roy	Randolph-Macon Woman`s College, B.A., 1970	U. of Arkansas at Fayetteville School of Law, J.D., 1975
Chief Judge Brian Miller	1967	Pine Bluff, AR	W. Bush	4/17/2008 - Present	7/23/2012 - Present	George Howard	U. of Central Arkansas, B.S., 1992	Vanderbilt Law School, J.D., 1995
Judge D.P. Marshall	1963	Memphis, TN	Obama	5/6/2010 - Present		William Wilson	Arkansas State U., B.A., 1985	Harvard Law School, J.D., 1989
Judge Kristine Gerhard Baker	1971	Colorado Springs, CO	Obama	5/7/2012 - Present		James M. Moody	St. Louis U., B.A., 1993	U. of Arkansas Law, J.D., 1996

Pending appointments

There are no current pending appointments for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas.

Senior judges

See: Federal judges on senior status
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas has 3 judges on senior status currently. This is a list of the current senior judges on the court:

Judge	Appointed by	Active	Chief	Senior	Bachelors	Law
Senior Judge Garnett Eisele	Nixon	8/6/1970 - 8/1/1991	1975 - 1991	8/1/1991 - Present	Washington U. in St. Louis, A.B., 1947	Harvard Law School, LL.B., 1950
Senior Judge William Wilson	Clinton	10/1/1993 - 10/1/2008		10/1/2008 - Present	Hendrix College, B.A., 1962	Vanderbilt U. Law School, J.D., 1965
Senior Judge James M. Moody	Clinton	8/14/1995 - 10/1/2008		10/1/2008 - Present	U. of Arkansas, B.S.I.M., 1962	U. of Arkansas School of Law, J.D., 1964

Magistrate judges

Judge	Active	Bachelors	Law
Magistrate Judge H. David Young
Magistrate Judge Jerry Cavaneau
Chief Magistrate Judge J. Thomas Ray
Magistrate Judge Beth Deere	01/04/2007 - Present	Henderson State U., B.A., 1974	U. of Arkansas Law, J.D., 1986
Magistrate Judge Jerome Kearney	04/16/2010 - Present
Magistrate Judge Joe J. Volpe	07/2009 - Present	West Point, B.S., 1988	U. of Arkansas Law, J.D., 1996

Past judges

Former Chief judges

Judge	Term
Stephen Reasoner	1991 - 1998
Jesse Henley	1959 - 1975
Thomas Trimble	1948 - 1957
Susan Carter	1998 - 2005
Garnett Eisele	1975 - 1991

In order to qualify for the office of Chief Judge in one of the federal courts, 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 in the office of Chief Judge 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. Unlike the Chief Justice of the United States, a Chief Judge returns to active service after the expiration of his or her term and does not create a vacancy on the bench by the fact of his or her promotion. See 28 U.S.C. § 45.

These rules for Chief Judges in the federal judiciary have been in effect since October 1, 1982. The office of Chief Judge was created in 1948. Until August 6, 1959, the position was filled in each federal court by 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. From then until 1982 it was filled by the senior such judge who had not turned 70.

Former judges

1. Henry Woods
2. William Overton
3. Richard Arnold
4. Terry Shell
5. Daniel Ringo
6. Henry Clay Caldwell
7. John Williams
8. Jacob Trieber
9. John Ellis Martineau
10. Thomas Trimble
11. Harry Lemley
12. Oren Harris
13. Jesse Henley
14. George Howard
15. Elsijane Roy
16. Stephen Reasoner
17. Gordon Young