Stephen M. Reasoner
Appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 and confirmed by voice vote, Stephen M. Reasoner was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas. He earned a law degree from University of Arkansas School of Law in 1969. Rulings & record ↓ Sources ↓
- Lived
- 1944–2004
- Appointed by
- Ronald Reagan, 1988
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Education
- University of Arkansas 1966 · University of Arkansas Law 1969
- Succeeded
- William Ray Overton
- Succeeded by
- James Leon Holmes
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Eastern District of Arkansas succeeded William Ray Overton | Reagan (R) | Voice vote |
Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own. A voice vote means the chamber approved aloud. No senator-by-senator tally is recorded.
Confirmation vote
Voice vote
The Senate approved this confirmation aloud, with no senator-by-senator tally recorded. Recorded roll-call votes begin in 1989.
Education
| University of Arkansas | B.A. | 1966 |
| University of Arkansas School of Law | J.D. | 1969 |
Judicial Record
Caseload & case types
In our data, Reasoner was assigned 3,589 district-court cases (1981–2004). Median time from filing to termination: 252 days across 3,588 closed cases.
Case assignment is from CourtListener’s PACER-derived docket records: a partial sample, not a complete caseload, reflecting the judge last assigned each case. How we count.
In our data, Reasoner authored 35 published opinions for the court (1988–2004). Most cited: Dole v. Continental Cuisine, Inc. (25 citations).
A selective record from published opinions in the CourtListener corpus, not every ruling; most unpublished district orders are not included. Counts and rankings are objective and recomputable: how we count. We describe the record, not the judge.
Recent & notable rulings
| Year | Case | Citation | Cited |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Dole v. Continental Cuisine, Inc. | 751 F. Supp. 799 | 25 |
| 2002 | Terry Ex Rel. Terry v. Hill | 232 F. Supp. 2d 934 | 21 |
| 1996 | Missouri Pacific Railroad v. 55 Acres of Land Located in Crittenden | 947 F. Supp. 1301 | 9 |
| 1993 | Arkansas Wildlife Federation v. ICI Americas Inc. | 842 F. Supp. 1140 | 9 |
| 1991 | Harvell v. Ladd | 759 F. Supp. 525 | 9 |
| 1994 | Bentley v. Arlee Home Fashions, Inc. | 861 F. Supp. 65 | 8 |
| 2004 | United States v. Gurley | 317 F. Supp. 2d 870 | 5 |
| 1992 | Wicker v. Goodwin | 813 F. Supp. 676 | 5 |
| 1990 | Burris v. Sewer Improvement District No. 147 | 743 F. Supp. 655 | 5 |
| 2002 | Harpole v. Entergy Arkansas, Inc. | 197 F. Supp. 2d 1152 | 4 |
| 2000 | Harris v. City of Memphis, Tenn. | 119 F. Supp. 2d 893 | 4 |
| 1997 | Martin v. Cox | 213 B.R. 574 | 4 |
| 1992 | McFarlin Ex Rel. Hardaway v. Newport Special School District | 784 F. Supp. 589 | 4 |
| 1999 | McPike v. Corghi S.P.A. | 87 F. Supp. 2d 890 | 3 |
| 1999 | Wallace Ex Rel. Wallace v. Bryant School District | 46 F. Supp. 2d 863 | 3 |
Showing the 15 most-cited of 35 authored opinions in our data. “Cited” is inbound citations across the CourtListener corpus. Case links open the ruling’s full text (CourtListener) or its page here; read the methodology and verify against the primary source.
Questions & answers
- Who appointed Stephen M. Reasoner?
- President Ronald Reagan appointed Stephen M. Reasoner to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas in 1988.
- Was Stephen M. Reasoner appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Stephen M. Reasoner was appointed by President Ronald Reagan, a Republican. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Stephen M. Reasoner's confirmation vote?
- Stephen M. Reasoner was confirmed by voice vote on February 25, 1988. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court was Stephen M. Reasoner on?
- Stephen M. Reasoner was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- CourtListener bulk data (Free Law Project): authored opinions & citation counts
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
See something wrong? Report an error. Fixes are logged in the corrections log.
16 years on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).