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 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 ...

, Arkansas. He received a Bachelor of Science in Information Management degree from the University of Arkansas in 1962. He received a

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 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 Fort Sill is a United States Army post north of Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles (136.8 km) southwest of Oklahoma City. It covers almost . The fort was first built during the Indian Wars. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark ...

, 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 The University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UA Little Rock) is a public research university in Little Rock, Arkansas. Established as Little Rock Junior College by the Little Rock School District in 1927, the institution became a private four-year ...

. 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.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Moody, James Maxwell 1940 births Living people 20th-century American judges 21st-century American judges Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas United States district court judges appointed by Bill Clinton University of Arkansas alumni University of Arkansas School of Law alumni United States Army officers People from El Dorado, Arkansas