Arnold grew up in a family of four near Atlanta, Georgia, and graduated from Brookwood High School, a public school in Snellville, in 1992. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Auburn University in 1996, where he double majored in philosophy and religion. After graduating from college, Arnold went to graduate school at the Ohio State University and taught philosophy, earning an MA in philosophy in 1999. Arnold entered the Delayed Entry Program of the United States Army in 2002, and after enlisting in February 2003 he served in Baghdad, Iraq with the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division. After completing his active duty service in May, 2009, Arnold began attending Vanderbilt University Law School on the post-9/11 GI Bill and the Yellow Ribbon program. While in law school, Arnold developed a reputation as an outstanding legal debater and received numerous awards for scholastic and professional excellence, including both the Richard Nagareda Best Oralist Award and the Lightfoot Franklin & White Award for Best Oralist. Arnold was also a fellowship recipient of the Cal Turner Fellowship for Moral Leadership in the Professions. He received his law degree in May, 2012.
Personal life
Arnold has an identical twin brother Jarrett who teaches high school science at the Field School in Washington, D.C.; since he and his brother were born premature, they weren't brought home from the hospital until the day Richard Nixon resigned the office of the presidency. His mother saved the local paper from that day, and he attributes his distaste for political corruption, in part, to this historical accident. Arnold met his wife Cindy in 1991 at an honors program for Georgia high school students, and they have been married since January 4, 1997. He and his wife now live in Kingston Springs, Tennessee, in a home they purchased in 2007, with their daughter Alice and their four rescue dogs. Arnold is an avid hunter and fisherman, and aspires to catch a fish in all fifty states by the time he dies.
Professional career
Military service
After basic combat training, Arnold attended the Basic Modern Standard Arabic Language course at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center at the Presidio of Monterey, California. While there, he was co-winner of the Commandant's award in a graduating class of 192 soldiers, marines, seamen and airmen studying a variety of languages. After signals intelligence training at Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo, Texas, Arnold was stationed at Fort Drum, New York and was assigned to the recently formed First Brigade Combat Team of the 10th Mountain Division. While there, he earned his Air Assault badge and completed the Army's Warrior Leader Course. During his time at the 10th Mountain Division in the U.S. Army, Sergeant Arnold trained signals intelligence personnel in counter-insurgency missions for deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan and produced analysis that contributed to the removal of more than 24 high-level insurgents and dozens of lower-level insurgents from the Iraqi theater of operations. While serving in Baghdad, Iraq from August 2005 to August 2006, Arnold served on a four-man intelligence team credited with capturing the highest number of insurgent targets of any team of its type operating in the 4th Infantry Division's area of operations. His brigade received a Meritorious Unit Citation for its service during that deployment. By the time Arnold left the Active Duty Army, he was decorated with the Iraqi Campaign Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, four Army Achievement Medals, two Army Good Conduct Medals, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal and several other awards. He also held a top secret security clearance. In October 2010, Arnold was honorably discharged from the Inactive Ready Reserve.
Legal experience
Arnold has worked for the District Attorney's office in Nashville, Tennessee, where, pursuant to Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 7 Section 10.03, he was given authority to try and to manage misdemeanor and felony criminal cases under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys as a legal intern. Between August 2010 and May 2011, he also worked at the Brentwood, Tennessee division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. After taking and passing the Tennessee Bar Exam in the Summer of 2012, Arnold began practicing law on his own. Mr. Arnold practices primarily in Dickson County and Cheatham County in Middle Tennessee's 23rd Judicial District. He practices out of a small office located across from the courthouse in Ashland City, Tennessee. While Arnold has taken some Juvenile and Chancery Court cases, his practice is primarily centered in the General Sessions and Circuit Criminal Courts. Since being licensed, Mr. Arnold has also handled cases in Chester, Carroll, Davidson, Maury, Robertson, Rutherford, Stewart and Williamson Counties. In August, 2014, Jack Arnold is expected to be listed as a candidate on the ballot for Circuit Court Judge in Tennessee's 23rd Judicial District, running for the seat currently occupied by Judge George Sexton. Judge Sexton is not expected to seek re-election at this time.
Campaign for Congress
Arnold filed with the Federal Election Commission to run as an Independent candidate for the seat held by 10-year incumbent Republican Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn in Tennessee's 7th congressional district. By the end of the election cycle, Blackburn had raised $1,779,731.00 and spent $1,408,633.00 on re-election compared to the $20,418.00 raised and spent by Arnold. Though no other candidates reported raising funds to the Federal Election Commission, by the time of the election, there were several other candidates on the ballot. Democrat Credo Amouzouvik, Independent Ryan Akin, Independent Lenny Ladner, and Green Party Candidate Howard Switzer. Despite appearing fifth on a ballot containing six names, Arnold received nearly as many votes with 4,256 as Mr. Switzer, who was listed third on the ballot, according to Ballotpedia.
Arnold came out as an early opponent of SOPA and staunchly opposes the bill, which he has said "no thinking person could possibly support". Notably, Arnold's position starkly contrasts that of his Republican opponent Marsha Blackburn, who is one of SOPA's most prominent congressional cosponsors. Blackburn's support for SOPA became a major issue in the race for Tennessee's 7th congressional district on December 22, 2011, when in response to Blackburn's support for the bill, redstate.com's Erick Erickson, a high-profile conservative who has been described as the most influential conservative blogger on the internet, wrote "I am pledging right now that I will do everything in my power to defeat Marsha Blackburn in her 2012 re-election bid."
