James Maxwell Moody Explained

James Maxwell Moody
Office:Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas
Term Start:October 1, 2008
Term End:March 7, 2014
Office1:Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas
Term Start1:August 14, 1995
Term End1:October 1, 2008
Appointer1:Bill Clinton
Predecessor1:Henry Woods
Successor1:Kristine Baker
Birth Name:James Maxwell Moody
Birth Date:15 February 1940[1]
Birth Place:El Dorado, Arkansas, U.S.
Spouse:Jo A. Cooper (died 1993)
Children:James Maxwell Moody Jr.
Education:
University of Arkansas School of Law (J.D.)
Branch:United States Army
Serviceyears:1962-1966
Rank:Second Lieutenant
Unit:2nd Armored Division

James Maxwell Moody, Sr. (born February 15, 1940) is a retired United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas.

Education and career

Moody was born in El Dorado, Arkansas. He received a Bachelor of Science in Information Management degree from the University of Arkansas in 1962. He received a Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas School of Law in 1964 and passed the Arkansas bar examination in the same year.

He received a commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Army in June 1962 upon graduation from college. He served at Fort Sill, Oklahoma from September to November 1964, and then with the Second Armored Division from November 1964 to September 1966 at Fort Hood, Texas.

In 1976, he taught constitutional law at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. From 1980 to 1988, he served as a stockholder and later director of a catering company.

He was in private practice in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1964 and from 1966 to 1995.

Federal judicial service

Moody was a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas. He was nominated by President Bill Clinton on June 27, 1995, to a seat vacated by Henry Woods. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on August 11, 1995, and received his commission on August 14, 1995. He assumed senior status on October 1, 2008, and retired on March 7, 2014.

Personal life

His son, James M. Moody Jr., serves as a judge on the same court. Moody had previously indicated he would retire from the court when his son was confirmed by the Senate. He later retired on March 7, 2014.[2]

Notes and References

  1. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=pur1.32754067398762;view=2up;seq=418;skin=mobile Confirmation hearings on federal appointments : hearings before the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, One Hundred Fourth Congress, first session, on confirmation of appointees to the federal judiciary. pt. 2, page 405
  2. Web site: Moody, James Maxwell - Federal Judicial Center. www.fjc.gov.