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United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas

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United States Bankruptcy Court, 300 W. 2nd Street in Little Rock

The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas Arkansas is the federal bankruptcy court in Arkansas; it is the only bankruptcy court in the nation spanning two Districts. It is associated with the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas and the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas. The court’s main office is based in Little Rock with a divisional office in Fayetteville.

Jurisdiction

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The Eastern District of Arkansas is divided into five divisions:[1]

Eastern Division Cross, Lee, Monroe, Phillips, St. Francis, Woodruff
Jonesboro Division Clay, Craighead, Crittenden, Greene, Lawrence, Mississippi, Poinsett, Randolph
Northern Division Cleburne, Fulton, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Sharp, Stone
Pine Bluff Division Arkansas, Chicot, Cleveland, Dallas, Desha, Drew, Grant, Jefferson, Lincoln
Western Division Conway, Faulkner, Lonoke, Perry, Pope, Prairie, Pulaski, Saline, Van Buren, White, Yell

The Western District of Arkansas is divided into six divisions:[1]

El Dorado Division Ashley, Bradley, Calhoun, Columbia, Ouachita, Union
Fayetteville Division Benton, Madison, Washington
Fort Smith Division Crawford, Franklin, Johnson, Logan, Polk, Sebastian, Scott
Harrison Division Baxter, Boone, Carroll, Marion, Newton, Searcy
Hot Springs Division Clark, Garland, Hot Spring, Montgomery, Pike
Texarkana Division Hempstead, Howard, Lafayette, Little River, Miller, Nevada, Sevier

Judges

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Judge Appointed
Richard D. Taylor 2003
Phyllis M. Jones 2015
Bianca M. Rucker 2021

Former Judges/Referees

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Name Title Service Dates
Patrick Callan Dooley Referee 1898 – 1903
Marshall L. Stephenson Referee 1898 – 1911
Joseph M. Hill Referee 1898 – 1899
W. G. Phillips Special Referee 1898 – 1911
Ambrose H. Sevier, Jr. Referee 1898 – 1908
Edward B. Pierce Referee 1899 – 1900
W. A. Falcmer Referee 1900
E. L. Marlboro Referee 1900
Laban H. Southmayd Referee 1900 – 1919
Ebin W. Kimball Special Referee 1902 – 1903
F. M. Garvin Referee 1903 – 1919
Charles C. Waters Referee 1903 – 1927
Joseph L. Shaw Special Referee 1904
C. B. Moore Referee 1908 – 1911
Charles F. Cole Referee 1908 – 1922
Jesse Vinyard Referee 1909
Samuel B. Woods, Jr. Referee 1910
Leo J. Mundt Referee 1911
John F. Simms Referee 1911 – 1912
R. B. (George) Campbell Referee 1911 – 1922
E. Foster Brown Referee 1911 – 1925
Gustavos G. Pope Referee 1913 – 1933
Daniel Hon Referee 1919 – 1929
James W. Slover Referee 1920 – 1928
John Bruce Cox Referee 1921 – 1931
Ira J. Mack Referee 1922
E. C. Horner Referee 1922 – 1940
Powell Clayton Referee 1923 – 1929
W. A. Carlton Referee 1924 – 1928
Fred C. Mullinix Referee 1926 – 1953
Andrew L. Kenney Referee 1928 – 1931
A. A. McDonald Referee 1929 – 1936
Joseph Hiram Schneider Referee 1929 – 1938
Ben Henley Referee 1931–1934, 1938–1943
R. D. Bogard Referee 1933
Willis B. Smith Referee 1933
L. B. Poindexter Referee 1933 – 1936
Oscar E. Ellis Referee 1935
Tom Hutson Referee 1935
O. E. Jones Referee 1935
Joe H. Snider Referee 1935
S. W. Woods Referee 1935 – 1937
J. O. Lynn Referee 1936
John Joseph McCaleb Referee 1936 – 1942
George O. Patterson Referee 1936 – 1951
William Lee Cazort Referee 1937 – 1961
B. Thomas Harper Referee 1938 – 1942
Alex G. Sanderson Referee 1940
Suzanne Lighten Referee 1941
G. Byron Dobbs Referee 1942
J. Smith Henley Referee 1944 – 1945
John Brizzola Referee 1945 – 1946
W. D. Murphy Referee 1945 – 1947
Cad L. Polk, Jr. Referee 1946 – 1947
Edgar Bethel Referee 1947 – 1954
Arnold M. Adams Referee/Judge 1962 – 1982
Charles W. Baker Referee/Judge 1973 – 1984
Robert F. Fussell Judge 1983 – 2003
James G. Mixon Judge 1984 – 2014
Mary Davies Scott Judge 1987 – 2002
Audrey R. Evans Judge 2002 – 2015
Ben T. Barry Judge 2007 – 2021

Clerks of Court

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Name Service
Peggy A. Carroll 1979 – 1999
Bill Blevins 1999 – 2001
Jean Rolfs 2002– 2019
Linda McCormack 2019–present

History

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The Bankruptcy Act of 1898 (Act of July 1, 1898, ch. 541, 30 Stat. 544) was the first permanent bankruptcy law and remained in effect until the passage of the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978 (Pub. L. 95–598, 92 Stat. 2549, November 6, 1978). The 1898 Act created "courts of bankruptcy" defined as the district courts of the United States. The 1898 Act also created the office of referee. The referee was appointed for two-year terms by the District Court. The 1978 Act established United States bankruptcy courts in each federal judicial district with their own clerks and other staff. The first bankruptcy clerk's office was located at the Richard Sheppard Arnold United States Post Office and Courthouse, 600 W. Capitol Avenue, Little Rock, Arkansas. In 1993, a staffed divisional office was opened in the John Paul Hammerschmidt Federal Building in Fayetteville, Arkansas. In 1997, the bankruptcy court moved to its current location in the newly renovated Old Post Office and Courthouse (aka Old Post Office and Customs House or the Old Federal Building) located at 300 W. 2nd Street in Little Rock.

District/Divisional History

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Date Statute Change Map
June 15, 1836 5 Stat. 50 Creates the State of Arkansas and the "Arkansas District"[2][3]
Arkansas District - 1836
June 17, 1844 5 Stat. 680 Arkansas District is given authority over "Indian Territory"[2]
Arkansas District - 1844
March 3, 1851 9 Stat. 594 Arkansas is divided into two districts: Western District consisting of Benton, Washington, Crawford, Scott, Polk, Franklin, Johnson, Madison, Carroll, and "Indian country." Eastern District consisting of "the residue of said State."[2]
Arkansas districts - 1851
March 27, 1854 10 Stat. 269 Sevier and Sebastian counties added to the Western Judicial District.[2]
Arkansas districts - 1854
March 3, 1871 16 Stat. 471 The counties of Phillips, Crittenden, Mississippi, Craighead, Greene, Randolph, Lawrence, Sharp, Poinsett, Cross, Saint Francis, Monroe, Woodruff, Jackson, Independence, Izzard, Marion, Fulton, and Boone were moved to the Western District of Arkansas.[2]
Arkansas districts - 1871
January 31, 1877 19 Stat. 230 State re-divided. Western District to include the counties of Benton, Washington, Crawford, Sebastian, Scott, Polk, Sevier, Little River, Howard, Montgomery, Yell, Logan, Franklin, Johnson, Madison, Newton, Carroll, Boone, Marion and Indian Territory. Eastern the residue.[3]
Arkansas districts - 1877
January 6, 1883 22 Stat. 400 Indian Territory divided up between other district courts.[3]
Arkansas districts - 1883
June 19, 1886 24 Stat. 83 Moving counties Howard, Little River, and Sevier moved to the Eastern District.[3]
Arkansas districts - 1886
February 17, 1887 24 Stat. 406 Eastern District divided into two divisions: Eastern and Western Divisions. The Eastern Division shall consist of Mississippi, Crittenden, Lee, Phillips, Clay, Craighead, Poinsett, Greene, Cross, Saint Francis, and Monroe. Western Division the remaining counties.[3]
Arkansas districts - Feb 17,1887
February 28, 1887 24 Stat. 428 Creation of Texarkana Division within Eastern District. Counties: Columbia, Howard, Hempstead, La Fayette, Little River, Miller, Nevada, Ouachita, Pike, and Sevier.[3]
Arkansas districts - Feb 28, 1887
March 1, 1889 25 Stat. 783 Removed Indian Territory from the Western District.[3]
Arkansas districts - 1889
February 9, 1892 27 Stat. 3 An act to move Montgomery county to the Eastern District, Western Division.[4]
Arkansas districts - 1892
February 20, 1897 29 Stat. 590 Reorganizing Districts: Western District includes Benton, Washington, Carroll, Boone, Madison, Newton, Crawford, Franklin, Johnson, Logan, Sebastian, Scott, Yell, Polk, Sevier, Howard, Pike, Little River, Hempstead, Miller, Lafayette, Nevada, Columbia, Union, Ouachita, and Calhoun. The Eastern District shall include the residue of state. The Northern Division is created and gets the following counties: Independence, Cleburne, Stone, Izard, Baxter, Searcy, Marion, Sharp, Fulton, Randolph, Lawrence, and Jackson. Eastern Division: Mississippi, Crittenden, Lee, Phillips, Clay, Craighead, Poinsett, Greene, Cross, St. Francis, and Monroe. The remaining counties will be the Western Division. The Western District is hereby divided into two divisions: Texarkana and Fort Smith Divisions. Texarkana Division shall include: Sevier, Howard, Pike, Little River, Hempstead, Miller, LaFayette, Columbia, Nevada, Ouachita, Calhoun, and Union. The remaining counties in the Western District shall be the Fort Smith Division.[5]
Arkansas districts - 1897
March 18, 1902 32 Stat. 72 Move Baxter, Marion and Searcy to the Western District and create the third division, Harrison, consisting of Baxter, Boone, Carroll, Madison, Marion, Newton, and Searcy.[6]
Arkansas districts - 1902
March 3, 1911 36 Stat. 1106 Woodruff moved from Western Division to Eastern Division. Fulton, Randolph, and Lawrence moved from Northern Division to the new Jonesboro Division. Clay, Craighead, Greene, Mississippi, and Poinsett moved from the Eastern Division to the new Jonesboro Division.[7]
Arkansas districts - 1911
March 4, 1915 38 Stat. 1193 Desha and Chicot moved from Western Division to Eastern Division. Yell moved from Fort Smith Division to the Eastern District, Western Division.[8]
Arkansas districts - 1915
April 12, 1924 43 Stat. 90 Chicot county moved from Eastern Division to Western Division.[9]
Arkansas districts - 1924
February 17, 1925 43 Stat. 948 El Dorado Division created with Columbia, Ouachita, Calhoun, Union from the Texarkana Division.[9]
Arkansas districts - 1925
April 16, 1926 44 Stat. 296 Bradley and Ashley added to El Dorado from the Western Division of the Eastern District.[10]
Arkansas districts - Apr 16, 1926
April 21, 1926 44 Stat. 304 Moved Fulton from Jonesboro Division to "Batesville Division" (Northern Division).[10]
Arkansas districts - Apr 21, 1926
April 17, 1940 54 Stat. 109 Fayetteville Division created with Benton, Washington (both taken from Fort Smith Division), and Madison (taken from Harrison Division).[11]
Arkansas districts - Apr 17, 1940
June 11, 1940 54 Stat. 302 Hot Springs Division created from Pike and from Montgomery, Garland, Hot Spring, and Clark (the last four being from Western Division, Eastern District).[11]
Arkansas districts - Jun 11, 1940
May 20, 1961 75 Stat. 84 Pine Bluff Division created from Desha (from the Eastern Division) and Grant, Dallas, Jefferson, Cleveland, Lincoln, Drew, Arkansas, and Chicot (from the Western Division).[12]
Arkansas districts - 1961
November 26, 2019 83(a) Stat. 28 The "Divisional Realignment for the Eastern District of Arkansas Act of 2019" comprises three divisions. The Central Division comprises the counties of Cleburne, Cleveland, Conway, Dallas, Drew, Faulkner, Grant, Jefferson, Lincoln, Lonoke, Perry, Pope, Prairie, Pulaski, Saline, Stone, Van Buren, White, and Yell. Court for the Central Division shall be held at Little Rock. The Delta Division comprises the counties of Arkansas, Chicot, Crittenden, Desha, Lee, Monroe, Phillips, and St. Francis. Court for the Delta Division shall be held at Helena. The Northern Division comprises the counties of Clay, Craighead, Cross, Fulton, Greene, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Lawrence, Mississippi, Poinsett, Randolph, Sharp, and Woodruff. Court for the Northern Division shall be held at Jonesboro.[13]
Arkansas Counties-2019

References

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  1. ^ a b "County Codes and Case Numbering". Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas official site. Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Archived from the original on 2016-03-18. Retrieved 2016-02-12.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Statutes at Large 1789-1875". The Library of Congress. Archived from the original on 2016-02-02. Retrieved 2016-02-11.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Complete Collection of United States Statutes at Large". Constitution Society. Archived from the original on 2016-02-14. Retrieved 2016-02-11.
  4. ^ "Statutes at Large Volume 27". Legis Works. Archived from the original on 2015-09-10. Retrieved 2016-02-11.
  5. ^ "Statutes at Large Volume 29". Legis Works. Archived from the original on 2015-09-10. Retrieved 2016-02-11.
  6. ^ "Statutes at Large Volume 32". Legis Works. Archived from the original on 2015-09-10. Retrieved 2016-02-11.
  7. ^ "Statutes at Large Volume 36". Legis Works. Archived from the original on 2016-03-16. Retrieved 2016-02-11.
  8. ^ "Statutes at Large Volume 38". Legis Works. Archived from the original on 2015-09-10. Retrieved 2016-02-11.
  9. ^ a b "Statutes at Large Volume 43". Legis Works. Archived from the original on 2015-09-10. Retrieved 2016-02-11.
  10. ^ a b "Statutes at Large Volume 44". Legis Works. Archived from the original on 2015-09-11. Retrieved 2016-02-11.
  11. ^ a b "Statutes at Large Volume 54". Legis Works. Archived from the original on 2016-03-06. Retrieved 2016-02-11.
  12. ^ "Statutes at Large Volume 75". Legis Works. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2016-02-11.
  13. ^ "[USC02] 28 USC Ch. 5: DISTRICT COURTS". uscode.house.gov. Archived from the original on 11 February 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2022. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
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