James Maxwell Moody


James Maxwell Moody, Sr. 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.
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. From 1962 to 1966, he served in the United States Army.

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.

Son

His son, James Maxwell 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.