U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas is a United States district court, a federal trial court where most federal civil and criminal cases are first heard. It lies within the Eighth Circuit, which reviews its decisions on appeal. This page lists every judge to serve on the court, current and former, with who appointed them and whom they succeeded.
| Judge | Appointed by | Since |
|---|---|---|
| Susan Webber Wright | Bush (R) | 1990 |
| Brian Stacy Miller | Bush (R) | 2008 |
| Denzil Price Marshall Jr. | Obama (D) | 2010 |
| Kristine Gerhard Baker | Obama (D) | 2012 |
| James Maxwell Moody Jr. | Obama (D) | 2014 |
| Lee Philip Rudofsky | Trump (R) | 2019 |
| Judge | Appointed by | Years |
|---|---|---|
| J[ames] Leon Holmes | Bush (R) | 2004–2020 |
| James Maxwell Moody | Clinton (D) | 1995–2014 |
| Billy Roy Wilson | Clinton (D) | 1993–2025 |
| Stephen M. Reasoner | Reagan (R) | 1988–2004 |
| George Howard Jr. | Carter (D) | 1980–2007 |
| Henry Woods | Carter (D) | 1980–2002 |
| William Ray Overton | Carter (D) | 1979–1987 |
| Richard Sheppard Arnold | Carter (D) | 1978–1980 |
| Elsijane Trimble Roy | Carter (D) | 1977–2007 |
| Terry Lee Shell | Ford (R) | 1975–1978 |
| Garnett Thomas Eisele | Nixon (R) | 1970–2017 |
| Oren Harris | Johnson (D) | 1965–1997 |
| Gordon Elmo Young | Eisenhower (R) | 1959–1969 |
| Harry Jacob Lemley | Roosevelt (D) | 1939–1965 |
| Thomas Clark Trimble III | Roosevelt (D) | 1937–1965 |
| John Ellis Martineau | Coolidge (R) | 1928–1937 |
| Jacob Trieber | McKinley (R) | 1901–1927 |
| John A. Williams | Harrison (R) | 1890–1900 |
| Henry Clay Caldwell | Lincoln (R) | 1864–1890 |
| Daniel Ringo | (reassignment) (N) | 1851–1861 |
| Jesse Smith Henley | Eisenhower (R) | ?–1975 |
How a judge gets here. Each judge is nominated by a president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, then holds a numbered seat, for life, until they take senior status, or until they leave the bench. Open any judge to see who appointed them, how the Senate voted, and whom they succeeded, a chain that runs back to 1851.
Source: FJC Biographical Directory. Data last verified 2026-06-28. Verify against the primary source before relying.