U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas
U.S. District Court for the Western 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Jimm Larry Hendren | Bush (R) | 1992 |
| Robert Toombs Dawson | Clinton (D) | 1998 |
| Susan Owens Hickey | Obama (D) | 2011 |
| Paul Kinloch Holmes III | Obama (D) | 2011 |
| Timothy Lloyd Brooks | Obama (D) | 2014 |
| David Clay Wilkerson Fowlkes | Trump (R) | 2026 |
| John Thomas Shepherd | Trump (R) | 2026 |
| Judge | Appointed by | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Harry F. Barnes | Clinton (D) | 1993–2019 |
| Susan Webber Wright | Bush (R) | 1990–1990 |
| Morris Sheppard Arnold | Reagan (R) | 1985–1992 |
| H[ugh] Franklin Waters | Reagan (R) | 1981–2002 |
| George Howard Jr. | Carter (D) | 1980–1990 |
| Richard Sheppard Arnold | Carter (D) | 1978–1980 |
| Elsijane Trimble Roy | Carter (D) | 1977–1990 |
| Terry Lee Shell | Ford (R) | 1975–1978 |
| Paul X Williams | Johnson (D) | 1967–1994 |
| Oren Harris | Johnson (D) | 1965–1997 |
| Jesse Smith Henley | Eisenhower (R) | 1959–1975 |
| John Elvis Miller | Roosevelt (D) | 1941–1981 |
| Harry Jacob Lemley | Roosevelt (D) | 1939–1965 |
| Heartsill Ragon | Roosevelt (D) | 1933–1940 |
| Frank A. Youmans | Taft (R) | 1911–1932 |
| John Henry Rogers | Cleveland (D) | 1896–1911 |
| Isaac Charles Parker | Grant (R) | 1875–1896 |
| William Story | Grant (R) | 1871–1874 |
| Henry Clay Caldwell | Lincoln (R) | 1864–1871 |
| Daniel Ringo | (reassignment) (N) | 1851–1861 |
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.