John Thomas Shepherd at a glance
- Current role
- Judge
- Jurisdiction
- Arkansas · Federal
- Judicial service
- Active
John Thomas Shepherd
Judge · U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas
Service record and verification
Judicial service and assignments
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas · Judge · Active · April 23, 2026–present · Assignment source ↗
Appointment and verification
- Appointment method
- Presidential appointment with Senate confirmation
- Appointing authority
- Donald J. Trump
- Source authority
- Federal Judicial Center Biographical Directory
Public docket analytics load when this section is opened.
Biography
Professional career
- American judge serving on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas since April 23, 2026, appointed by President Donald Trump and confirmed by
- On January 6, 2026, President Trump announced his intent to nominate Shepherd to the Western District of Arkansas seat vacated by Judge Susan O. Hickey
- Judge, Circuit Court of Arkansas, Thirteenth Judicial District, 2025-2026
- Judge, Arkansas 13th Judicial Circuit Court, El Dorado (2025–2026)
- Prosecuting Attorney's Office, Thirteenth Judicial District, Arkansas, 2016-2024; deputy prosecuting attorney, 2016-2017, 2019-2024; prosecuting attorney, 2017-2019
- Prosecuting Attorney for the Arkansas 13th Judicial District (2017–2019), with prior roles as deputy prosecuting attorney (2016–2017, 2019–2024)
- The brother of former Arkansas House Speaker Matthew Shepherd and nephew of Judge Bobby Shepherd of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Arkadelphian
Education
Additional information
- Shepherd succeeds Judge Susan Hickey, who served since 2010 Arkadelphian.
- Apr 14, 2026 – Senate confirmation 53–46
- Apr 23, 2026 – Judicial commission issued
- Apr 13, 2026 – Senate cloture by 50–44
- Mar 5, 2026 – Reported out 12–10 (party-line)
- Feb 4, 2026 – Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
- Private practice, El Dorado, Arkansas, 2013-2024
- Private practice in El Dorado, AR (2013–2024)
- Born in 1987 in El Dorado, Arkansas, Shepherd obtained a B.A. in political science from Rice University in 2009 and a J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Arkansas School of Law in 2013.
- The Western District of Arkansas covers 34 of Arkansas’s 75 counties, including most of the 13th Judicial District Arkadelphian.
- While at Rice, he played quarterback for the Owls football team.
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures
Courtroom Technology
Courtwide
Courtwide presentation-related guidance applies to this judge.
How to Submit Electronic Exhibit Files Electronic evidence files should be provided on a USB drive. Requirements for Exhibit File Types o All electronic evidence should be provided using the following formats: Documents and Photographs: .pdf, .jpg, .bmp, .tif, .gif Video and Audio Recordings: .avi, .wmv, .mpg, .mp3, .mp4, .wma, .wav,…Microsoft Word - src How to Submit Electronic Exhibit Files (002) ↗
Courtwide
Courtwide presentation-related guidance applies to this judge.
Electronic evidence files must be provided on a USB drive. Requirements for Exhibit File Types o All electronic evidence must be provided using the following formats: Documents and Photographs: .pdf, .jpg, .bmp, .tif, .gif Video and Audio Recordings: .avi, .wmv, .mpg, .mp3, .mp4, .wma, .wav, .3gpp o The individual file size…Microsoft Word - 2022 JERS- How to Submit Electronic Exhibit Files ↗
Remote appearances
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.
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 ↗
Recording and broadcasting
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.
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 ↗
Published courtroom rules
Shared court rules
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, December 1, 2025
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas
Civil actions in United States District Courts; Rule 81 exceptions apply. 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 ↗ · Collected 2026-10-27Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas
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 ↗ · Collected 2026-10-27Sources
Identity source checked July 25, 2026.
Biography sources checked August 3, 2026.
Federal Judicial Center biography
Identity source · HTML · Federal Judicial Center Biographical Directory · effective April 23, 2026 · Source checked July 25, 2026
View Federal Judicial Center biography ↗Microsoft Word - src How to Submit Electronic Exhibit Files (002)
Courtwide source · PDF · U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas · Source checked July 24, 2026
View Microsoft Word - src How to Submit Electronic Exhibit Files (002) ↗Microsoft Word - 2022 JERS- How to Submit Electronic Exhibit Files
Courtwide source · PDF · U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas · Source checked July 24, 2026
View Microsoft Word - 2022 JERS- How to Submit Electronic Exhibit Files ↗Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court
Courtwide source · HTML · Supreme Court of the United States and Judicial Conference of the United States · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court ↗Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited
Courtwide source · HTML · Supreme Court of the United States and Judicial Conference of the United States · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited ↗