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 The Eastern District of Arkansas is divided into five divisions: Eastern DivisionCross, Lee, Monroe, Phillips, St. Francis, WoodruffJonesboro DivisionClay, Craighead, Crittenden, Greene, Lawrence, Mississippi, Poinsett, RandolphNorthern DivisionCleburne, Fulton, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Sharp, StonePine Bluff DivisionArkansas, Chicot, Cleveland, Dallas, Desha, Drew, Grant, Jefferson, LincolnWestern DivisionConway, Faulkner, Lonoke, Perry, Pope, Prairie, Pulaski, Saline, Van Buren, White, Yell
The Western District of Arkansas is divided into six divisions: El Dorado DivisionAshley, Bradley, Calhoun, Columbia, Ouachita, UnionFayetteville DivisionBenton, Madison, WashingtonFort Smith DivisionCrawford, Franklin, Johnson, Logan, Polk, Sebastian, ScottHarrison DivisionBaxter, Boone, Carroll, Marion, Newton, SearcyHot Springs DivisionClark, Garland, Hot Spring, Montgomery, PikeTexarkana DivisionHempstead, Howard, Lafayette, Little River, Miller, Nevada, Sevier
Judges Judge AppointedRichard D. Taylor2003Phyllis M. Jones2015Bianca M. Rucker2021
Former Judges/Referees Name Title Service DatesPatrick Callan DooleyReferee1898 – 1903Marshall L. StephensonReferee1898 – 1911Joseph M. HillReferee1898 – 1899W. G. PhillipsSpecial Referee1898 – 1911Ambrose H. Sevier, Jr.Referee1898 – 1908Edward B. PierceReferee1899 – 1900W. A. FalcmerReferee1900E. L. MarlboroReferee1900Laban H. SouthmaydReferee1900 – 1919Ebin W. KimballSpecial Referee1902 – 1903F. M. GarvinReferee1903 – 1919Charles C. WatersReferee1903 – 1927Joseph L. ShawSpecial Referee1904C. B. MooreReferee1908 – 1911Charles F. ColeReferee1908 – 1922Jesse VinyardReferee1909Samuel B. Woods, Jr.Referee1910Leo J. MundtReferee1911John F. SimmsReferee1911 – 1912R. B. (George) CampbellReferee1911 – 1922E. Foster BrownReferee1911 – 1925Gustavos G. PopeReferee1913 – 1933Daniel HonReferee1919 – 1929James W. SloverReferee1920 – 1928John Bruce CoxReferee1921 – 1931Ira J. MackReferee1922E. C. HornerReferee1922 – 1940Powell ClaytonReferee1923 – 1929W. A. CarltonReferee1924 – 1928Fred C. MullinixReferee1926 – 1953Andrew L. KenneyReferee1928 – 1931A. A. McDonaldReferee1929 – 1936Joseph Hiram SchneiderReferee1929 – 1938Ben HenleyReferee1931–1934, 1938–1943R. D. BogardReferee1933Willis B. SmithReferee1933L. B. PoindexterReferee1933 – 1936Oscar E. EllisReferee1935Tom HutsonReferee1935O. E. JonesReferee1935Joe H. SniderReferee1935S. W. WoodsReferee1935 – 1937J. O. LynnReferee1936John Joseph McCalebReferee1936 – 1942George O. PattersonReferee1936 – 1951William Lee CazortReferee1937 – 1961 B. Thomas HarperReferee1938 – 1942Alex G. SandersonReferee1940Suzanne LightenReferee1941G. Byron DobbsReferee1942J. Smith HenleyReferee1944 – 1945John BrizzolaReferee1945 – 1946W. D. MurphyReferee1945 – 1947Cad L. Polk, Jr.Referee1946 – 1947Edgar BethelReferee1947 – 1954Arnold M. AdamsReferee/Judge1962 – 1982Charles W. BakerReferee/Judge1973 – 1984Robert F. FussellJudge1983 – 2003James G. MixonJudge1984 – 2014Mary Davies ScottJudge1987 – 2002Audrey R. EvansJudge2002 – 2015Ben T. BarryJudge2007 – 2021
Clerks of Court Name ServicePeggy A. Carroll1979 – 1999Bill Blevins1999 – 2001Jean Rolfs2002– 2019Linda McCormack2019–present
History The Bankruptcy Act of 1898 (Act of July 1, 1898, ch. 541, ) was the first permanent bankruptcy law and remained in effect until the passage of the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978 (, , 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.
References
External links U. S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas official website