Richard Sheppard Arnold (March 26, 1936 – September 23, 2004) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas and the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas and then a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

Education and career

Born on March 26, 1936, in Texarkana, Texas, Arnold received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1957 from Yale University and a Bachelor of Laws in 1960 from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

. He served as a

law clerk A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person, generally someone who provides direct counsel and assistance to a lawyer or judge by researching issues and drafting legal opinions for cases before the court. Judicial clerks often play significant ...

for Justice

William J. Brennan Jr. William Joseph "Bill" Brennan Jr. (April 25, 1906 – July 24, 1997) was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1956 to 1990. He was the seventh-longest serving justice ...

of the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

from 1960 to 1961. He entered private practice in Washington, D.C. from 1961 to 1964. He continued private practice in Texarkana, Arkansas from 1964 to 1973. He was a delegate to the seventh Arkansas constitutional convention from 1969 to 1970. He was legislative secretary for

Governor of Arkansas A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...

Dale Bumpers Dale Leon Bumpers (August 12, 1925 – January 1, 2016) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 38th Governor of Arkansas (1971–1975) and in the United States Senate (1975–1999). He was a member of the Democratic Party. Prio ...

from 1973 to 1974. He was legislative assistant to United States Senator Dale Bumpers from 1975 to 1978.

Federal judicial service

Arnold was nominated by President Jimmy Carter on August 14, 1978, to a joint seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas and the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas vacated by Judge Terry Lee Shell. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on September 20, 1978, and received his commission on September 22, 1978. His service terminated on March 7, 1980, due to his elevation to the Eighth Circuit. Arnold was nominated by President Carter on December 19, 1979, to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, to a new seat authorized by 92 Stat. 1629. He was confirmed by the Senate on February 20, 1980, and received his commission on February 20, 1980. He served as Chief Judge and as member of the

Judicial Conference of the United States The Judicial Conference of the United States, formerly known as the Conference of Senior Circuit Judges, was created by the United States Congress in 1922 with the principal objective of framing policy guidelines for administration of judicial cour ...

from 1992 to 1998. He assumed senior status on April 1, 2001. His service terminated on September 23, 2004, due to his death in Rochester, Minnesota.

Relationship with Bill Clinton

As Governor of Arkansas, Bill Clinton befriended Arnold, and as President considered appointing Arnold to the United States Supreme Court. Jeffrey Toobin wrote of "Clinton ... weeping when he" told Arnold "he wasn't going to appoint him" because of Arnold's health. Jeffrey Toobin, '' The Nine'' (2007), p. 79.

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