--- title: "James Maxwell Moody Jr. | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/james-maxwell-moody-jr" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # James Maxwell Moody Jr. U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas - State: Arkansas - Role: Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, District Court, E.D. Arkansas, 2014-present - Moody is the son of former U.S. District Judge James Maxwell Moody Sr., who retired in 2014 after serving on the same court. - Judge, Circuit Court of Arkansas, Sixth Judicial Circuit, 2003-2014 - In 2003, he became a circuit judge for the Third Division of the Sixth Judicial District of Arkansas, serving until his federal judicial appointment - James Maxwell “Jay” Moody Jr. is an active judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas - Moody serves as a U.S. District Judge in the Eastern District of Arkansas, with chambers at 500 West Capitol Avenue, Room C446, Little Rock, AR 72201 Eastern District of Arkansas ### Education - University of Arkansas Bowen School of Law in — J.D. (1989) - Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Arkansas in 1986 - B.S.B.A. — University of Arkansas — 1986 ### Additional information - His father, James Maxwell Moody Sr., retired from the court in 2014 after indicating he would do so if his son was confirmed. - Private practice, Little Rock, AR, 1989-2003 - Before entering the judiciary, Moody worked in private practice in Little Rock, Arkansas from 1989 to 2003 - Born August 8, 1964, in El Dorado, Arkansas. - Date of birth: 1964-01-01 - focusing on civil litigation in state and federal courts. - Moody’s judicial career spans both state and federal levels, with a focus on civil litigation and appellate work. - His contact email is jmchambers@ Eastern District of Arkansas. - Birth place: El Dorado, AR ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### civil remote testimony Scope: courtwide In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards. Evidence excerpt: For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location. [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### criminal recording and broadcasting Scope: courtwide Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception. Evidence excerpt: Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom. [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394351) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394351) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394351) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2289/james-maxwell-moody-jr/) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2289/james-maxwell-moody-jr/) - [Wikidata: James Maxwell Moody, Jr.](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16195695) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/james-maxwell-moody-jr", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/james-maxwell-moody-jr", "name": "James Maxwell Moody Jr. | KnowJudges", "description": "James Maxwell Moody Jr., U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas. 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Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-civil-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8721a344fececced2257fe1d) — Criminal proceedings in United States District Courts; this conservative mapping does not distribute appellate-specific provisions to appellate judges. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.