Bobby Ed Shepherd (born November 18, 1951)
is a
United States circuit judge
In the United States, federal judges are judges who serve on courts established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. They include the chief justice and the associate justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, the circuit judges of the U.S. Cou ...
of the
United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. He maintains chambers in
El Dorado
El Dorado (, ; Spanish for "the golden"), originally ''El Hombre Dorado'' ("The Golden Man") or ''El Rey Dorado'' ("The Golden King"), was the term used by the Spanish in the 16th century to describe a mythical tribal chief (''zipa'') or king o ...
, the seat of
Union County in south Arkansas.
Education
Shepherd received a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
degree from
Ouachita Baptist University
Ouachita Baptist University (OBU) is a private Baptist university in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. The university's name is taken from the Ouachita (pronounced WAH-shi-tah) River, which forms the eastern campus boundary. It is affiliated with the Arka ...
in Arkadelphia in 1973. He received his
Juris Doctor
The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law
and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
from the
University of Arkansas School of Law in
Fayetteville in 1975.
Career
Shepherd was a
United States magistrate judge
In United States federal courts, magistrate judges are judges appointed to assist U.S. district court judges in the performance of their duties. Magistrate judges generally oversee first appearances of criminal defendants, set bail, and conduct ...
for the
from 1993 until he joined the Eighth Circuit. His appointment was only the second time ever a sitting magistrate judge had been elevated directly to a federal court of appeals. From 1991 to 1993, Shepherd was an Arkansas state trial judge for the
13th Judicial Circuit, in the southern end of the state. Previously, Shepherd had been in private practice as an attorney in Arkansas from 1976 to 1990.
Federal judicial service
Shepherd was nominated to the Eighth Circuit by President
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
on May 18, 2006, to fill a seat to be vacated by Judge
Morris S. Arnold
Morris Sheppard Arnold (born October 8, 1941) is a Senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and previously was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Weste ...
. Shepherd was confirmed by the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
by
voice vote
In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "live voice") or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies (such as legislatures) in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by responding vo ...
on July 20, 2006. He received his commission on October 10, 2006.
Personal life
Shepherd's son
Matthew Shepherd, has served as a state representative in the
Arkansas House of Representatives
The Arkansas State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arkansas General Assembly, the state legislature of the US state of Arkansas. The House is composed of 100 members elected from an equal amount of constituencies across the ...
since 2011 and as the
Speaker of the Arkansas House of Representatives since 2018.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shepherd, Bobby
1951 births
Living people
21st-century American judges
Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
People from Arkadelphia, Arkansas
United States court of appeals judges appointed by George W. Bush
United States magistrate judges
University of Arkansas School of Law alumni