| United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas | |
|---|---|
| (E.D. Ark.) | |
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| Location | Richard Sheppard Arnold U.S. Post Office and Courthouse |
| Appeals to | Eighth Circuit |
| Established | March 3, 1851 |
| Judges | 5 |
| Chief Judge | Kristine Baker |
| Officers of the court | |
| U.S. Attorney | Jonathan D. Ross |
| U.S. Marshal | Cory Harris (Acting) |
| www | |
TheUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas (incase citations,E.D. Ark.) is a federal court in theEighth Circuit (except forpatent claims and claims against the U.S. government under theTucker Act, which are appealed to theFederal Circuit).
The District was established on March 3, 1851, with the division of the state into an Eastern andWestern district.[1]
The United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court. As of November 17, 2021[update] theUnited States attorney is Jonathan D. Ross.[2]
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas is one of two federal judicial districts in Arkansas.[3] Court for the District is held atHelena,Jonesboro, andLittle Rock.
Central Division comprises the following counties:Cleburne,Cleveland,Conway,Dallas,Drew,Faulkner,Grant,Jefferson,Lincoln,Lonoke,Perry,Pope,Prairie,Pulaski,Saline,Stone,Van Buren,White, andYell.
Delta Division comprises the following counties:Arkansas,Chicot,Crittenden,Desha,Lee,Monroe,Phillips, andSt. Francis.
Northern Division comprises the following counties:Clay,Craighead,Cross,Fulton,Greene,Independence,Izard,Jackson,Lawrence,Mississippi,Poinsett,Randolph,Sharp, andWoodruff.
As of October 28, 2025[update]:
| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Appointed by | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active | Chief | Senior | ||||||
| 25 | Chief Judge | Kristine Baker | Little Rock | 1971 | 2012–present | 2023–present | — | Obama |
| 23 | District Judge | Brian S. Miller | Little Rock | 1967 | 2008–present | 2012–2019 | — | G.W. Bush |
| 24 | District Judge | D. Price Marshall Jr. | Little Rock | 1963 | 2010–present | 2019–2023 | — | Obama |
| 26 | District Judge | James M. Moody Jr. | Little Rock | 1964 | 2014–present | — | — | Obama |
| 27 | District Judge | Lee Rudofsky | Little Rock | 1979 | 2019–present | — | — | Trump |
| 19 | Senior Judge | Susan Webber Wright | Little Rock | 1948 | 1990–2013[Note 1] | 1998–2005 | 2013–present | G.H.W. Bush |
| # | Judge | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniel Ringo | 1803–1873 | 1851–1861[Note 1] | — | — | Taylor/Operation of law | resignation |
| 2 | Henry Clay Caldwell | 1832–1915 | 1864–1890[Note 2] | — | — | Lincoln | elevation |
| 3 | John A. Williams | 1835–1900 | 1890–1900 | — | — | B. Harrison | death |
| 4 | Jacob Trieber | 1853–1927 | 1900–1927[Note 3] | — | — | McKinley | death |
| 5 | John Ellis Martineau | 1873–1937 | 1928–1937 | — | — | Coolidge | death |
| 6 | Thomas Clark Trimble III | 1878–1965 | 1937–1957 | 1948–1957 | 1957–1965 | F. Roosevelt | death |
| 7 | Harry Jacob Lemley | 1883–1965 | 1939–1958[Note 4] | — | 1958–1965 | F. Roosevelt | death |
| 8 | J. Smith Henley | 1917–1997 | 1958–1959[Note 5] | — | — | Eisenhower | resignation |
| 8.1 | J. Smith Henley | 1917–1997 | 1959–1975[Note 4] | 1959–1975 | — | Eisenhower | elevation |
| 9 | Gordon Elmo Young | 1907–1969 | 1959–1969 | — | — | Eisenhower | death |
| 10 | Oren Harris | 1903–1997 | 1965–1976[Note 4] | — | 1976–1997 | L. Johnson | death |
| 11 | Garnett Thomas Eisele | 1923–2017 | 1970–1991 | 1975–1991 | 1991–2017 | Nixon | death |
| 12 | Terry Shell | 1922–1978 | 1975–1978[Note 4] | — | — | Ford | death |
| 13 | Elsijane Trimble Roy | 1916–2007 | 1977–1989[Note 4] | — | 1989–2007[Note 6] | Carter | death |
| 14 | Richard S. Arnold | 1936–2004 | 1978–1980[Note 4] | — | — | Carter | elevation |
| 15 | William Overton | 1939–1987 | 1979–1987 | — | — | Carter | death |
| 16 | Henry Woods | 1918–2002 | 1980–1995 | — | 1995–2002 | Carter | death |
| 17 | George Howard Jr. | 1924–2007 | 1980–2007[Note 7] | — | — | Carter | death |
| 18 | Stephen M. Reasoner | 1944–2004 | 1988–2002 | 1991–1998 | 2002–2004 | Reagan | death |
| 20 | Billy Roy Wilson[Note 8] | 1939–2025 | 1993–2008 | — | 2008–2025 | Clinton | death |
| 21 | James Maxwell Moody | 1940–present | 1995–2008 | — | 2008–2014 | Clinton | retirement |
| 22 | James Leon Holmes | 1951–present | 2004–2018 | 2005–2012 | 2018–2020 | G.W. Bush | retirement |
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 assenior 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.
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Recent former US Attorneys for the district
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| Note | American Samoa does not have a district court or federal territorial court; federal matters there go to theDistrict of Columbia,Hawaii, orits own Supreme Court. |
