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 The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (in case citations, 8th Cir.) is a United States federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the following United States district courts: * Eastern District of Arkansas * Western Dist ...

and previously was a United States district judge of the

United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas The United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas (in case citations, W.D. Ark.) is a federal court in the Eighth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appeale ...

Education and career

Born in 1941, in

Texarkana, Texas Texarkana is a city in Bowie County, Texas, United States, in the Ark-La-Tex region. Located approximately from Dallas, Texarkana is a twin city with neighboring Texarkana, Arkansas. The Texas city's population was 36,193 at the 2020 census. ...

, Arnold received a

Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering A Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) or a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) is an Academic degree, academic undergraduate degree awarded to a student after three to five years of studying engineering at an accredited college or university. In ...

degree in 1965 from the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

, a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

in 1968 from the

University of Arkansas School of Law The University of Arkansas School of Law is the law school of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas, a State university system, state university. It has around 445 students enrolled in its Juris Doctor (J.D.) and Master of Law (LL.M) ...

, a

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

in 1969 from Harvard Law School and a

Doctor of Juridical Science A Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD; ), or a Doctor of Science of Law (JSD; ), is a research doctorate in law equivalent to the more commonly awarded Doctor of Philosophy degree. Australia The S.J.D. is offered by the Australian National Univ ...

in 1971 from the same institution. He entered private practice in Texarkana,

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

in 1968. He was a teaching fellow in law at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

from 1969 to 1970. He was a professor at Indiana University Maurer School of Law from 1971 to 1977. He was Vice President of the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

and a professor at the

University of Pennsylvania Law School The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School (also known as Penn Law or Penn Carey Law) is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is among the most selective and oldes ...

from 1977 to 1981. He was a professor at the William H. Bowen School of Law from 1981 to 1984. He returned to private practice in

Little Rock ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

, Arkansas from 1981 to 1984. He was Special Chief Justice of the

Arkansas Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Arkansas is the highest court in the state judiciary of Arkansas. It has ultimate and largely discretionary appellate jurisdiction over all state court cases that involve a point of state law, and original jurisdiction o ...

in 1982. He was a Special Master for the Chancery Court of Pulaski County, Arkansas in 1983. He was a professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School from 1984 to 1985. He was a Visiting Professor at

Stanford Law School Stanford Law School (Stanford Law or SLS) is the law school of Stanford University, a private research university near Palo Alto, California. Established in 1893, it is regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world. Stanford La ...

in 1985. He was Dean of the Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 1985.

Federal judicial service

Arnold was nominated by President Ronald Reagan on October 23, 1985, to the

, to a new seat authorized by . He 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 ...

on December 16, 1985, and received his commission on December 17, 1985. His service terminated on June 1, 1992, due to his elevation to the court of appeals. Arnold was nominated by President George H. W. Bush on November 6, 1991, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge Donald P. Lay. He was confirmed by the Senate on May 21, 1992, and received his commission on May 26, 1992. He assumed

senior status Senior status is a form of semi- retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of service as a federal judge must be at leas ...

on October 9, 2006. He served as a Judge of the

United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review The United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review (FISCR) is a U.S. federal court whose sole purpose is to review denials of applications for electronic surveillance warrants (called FISA warrants) by the United States Foreign ...

from 2008 to 2013, serving as Presiding Judge from 2012 to 2013.

Awards and honors

Books

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References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Arnold, Morris Sheppard 1941 births Living people 20th-century American judges Arkansas lawyers Arkansas state court judges Chief Justices of the Arkansas Supreme Court Harvard Law School alumni Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas Deans of law schools in the United States Lawyers from Little Rock, Arkansas People from Texarkana, Texas United States court of appeals judges appointed by George H. W. Bush United States district court judges appointed by Ronald Reagan University of Arkansas School of Law alumni University of Arkansas School of Law faculty University of Pennsylvania Law School faculty William H. Bowen School of Law faculty Judges of the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review Legal historians