§83. Arkansas

Arkansas is divided into two judicial districts to be known as the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas.

Eastern District

(a) The Eastern District comprises three divisions.

(1) The Central Division comprises the counties of Cleburne, Cleveland, Conway, Dallas, Drew, Faulkner, Grant, Jefferson, Lincoln, Lonoke, Perry, Pope, Prairie, Pulaski, Saline, Stone, Van Buren, White, and Yell.

Court for the Central Division shall be held at Little Rock.

(2) The Delta Division comprises the counties of Arkansas, Chicot, Crittenden, Desha, Lee, Monroe, Phillips, and St. Francis.

Court for the Delta Division shall be held at Helena.

(3) The Northern Division comprises the counties of Clay, Craighead, Cross, Fulton, Greene, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Lawrence, Mississippi, Poinsett, Randolph, Sharp, and Woodruff.

Court for the Northern Division shall be held at Jonesboro.

Western District

(b) The Western District comprises six divisions.

(1) The Texarkana Division comprises the counties of Hempstead, Howard, Lafayette, Little River, Miller, Nevada, and Sevier.

Court for the Texarkana Division shall be held at Texarkana, and may be held anywhere within the Federal courthouse in Texarkana that is located astride the State line between Texas and Arkansas.

(2) The El Dorado Division comprises the counties of Ashley, Bradley, Calhoun, Columbia, Ouachita, and Union.

Court for the El Dorado Division shall be held at El Dorado.

(3) The Fort Smith Division comprises the counties of Crawford, Franklin, Johnson, Logan, Polk, Scott, and Sebastian.

Court for the Fort Smith Division shall be held at Fort Smith.

(4) The Harrison Division comprises the counties of Baxter, Boone, Carroll, Marion, Newton, and Searcy.

Court for the Harrison Division shall be held at Harrison.

(5) The Fayetteville Division comprises the counties of Benton, Madison, and Washington.

Court for the Fayetteville Division shall be held at Fayetteville.

(6) The Hot Springs Division comprises the counties of Clark, Garland, Hot Springs, Montgomery, and Pike.

Court for the Hot Springs Division shall be held at Hot Springs.

(June 25, 1948, ch. 646, 62 Stat. 874 ; Pub. L. 87–36, §5, May 19, 1961, 75 Stat. 84 ; Pub. L. 108–455, §3, Dec. 10, 2004, 118 Stat. 3628 ; Pub. L. 116–73, §2, Nov. 26, 2019, 133 Stat. 1154 .)

Historical and Revision Notes

Based on title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., §144 (Mar. 3, 1911, ch. 231, §71, 36 Stat. 1106 ; Apr. 12, 1924, ch. 87, §1, 43 Stat. 90 ; Feb. 17, 1925, ch. 252, 43 Stat. 948 ; Apr. 16, 1926, ch. 147, §1, 44 Stat. 296 ; Apr. 21, 1926, ch. 168, 44 Stat. 304 ; Feb. 7, 1928, ch. 29, §1, 45 Stat. 58 ; Apr. 17, 1940, ch. 100, 54 Stat. 109 ; June 11, 1940, ch. 321, §1, 54 Stat. 302 ).

A provision making inoperative the terms of the last paragraph of this section, whenever court accommodations shall be provided in Federal buildings was omitted as unnecessary. When such buildings become available the Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts will, under section 604 of this title, provide court accommodations therein.

Provisions relating to places for maintenance of clerks' offices and requiring said offices to be kept open at all times were omitted as covered by sections 452 and 751 of this title.

The provision authorizing the referee in bankruptcy for the western division of the eastern district to serve by appointment in the Hot Springs division of the western district is to be transferred to title 11, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Bankruptcy.

The provision with reference to court accommodations at Fayetteville and Hot Springs was omitted as covered by section 142 of this title.

Changes in arrangement and phraseology were made.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2019-Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 116–73 amended subsec. (a) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (a) designated the Eastern, Western, Pine Bluff, Northern, and Jonesboro Divisions within the Eastern District.

2004-Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 108–455 inserted ", and may be held anywhere within the Federal courthouse in Texarkana that is located astride the State line between Texas and Arkansas" after "held at Texarkana".

1961-Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 87–36 struck out from enumeration in par. (1) the parish of Desha and in par. (2) the parishes of Arkansas, Chicot, Cleveland, Dallas, Drew, Grant, Jefferson, and Lincoln, added par. (3) consisting of such parishes, and redesignated former par. (3) and (4) as (4) and (5), respectively.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2019 Amendment

Pub. L. 116–73, §3, Nov. 26, 2019, 133 Stat. 1154 , provided that: "This Act [amending this section and enacting provisions set out as a note under section 1 of this title] and the amendment made by this Act shall take effect on the date of enactment of this Act [Nov. 26, 2019]."