--- title: "Mark Ford | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/mark-ford-arkansas-us-magistrate" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # Mark Ford U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas · U.S. Magistrate Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas - State: Arkansas - Role: U.S. Magistrate Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-29 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Before joining the federal bench, Ford was of counsel at Robertson, Beasley, Shipley & Redd (2014) and partner at Robertson, Beasley & Ford (2009–2014). - Licensed to practice law in Arkansas (1985) and Nebraska (1989) ### Education ### Additional information - Magistrate, District Court, W.D. Arkansas, 2015-present - Appointed: January 3, 2015, by the judges of the Western District of Arkansas to fill a seat vacated by Hon. James R. Marschewski. - Practitioner, Robertson, Beasley, Shipley & Redd, 2009–2015-01 - Practitioner, 1997–2009, Fort Smith, AR - J.D. — Univ. of Arkansas at Fayetteville — 1985 - B.A. — Univ. of Nebraska - Lincoln — 1982 - For case information or public inquiries, the court’s Media/Public Inquiries page provides official resources Western District of Arkansas. - He also practiced as a sole practitioner. - His legal career included trial and appellate work in criminal defense, insurance, bankruptcy, civil rights, contract, personal injury, workers’ compensation, and family law matters. - His background in both state and federal courts, combined with extensive appellate experience, informs his role in handling pretrial, trial, and certain appellate matters in the Western District of Arkansas. ## 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.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=74) - [Official roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=74) - [U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=74) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9028/mark-ford/) - [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/9028/mark-ford/) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: Mark E. Ford](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9028/mark-ford/) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: Mark E. Ford](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/mark-ford-arkansas-us-magistrate", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/mark-ford-arkansas-us-magistrate", "name": "Mark Ford | KnowJudges", "description": "Mark Ford, U.S. District Court for the Western 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.