J. Leon Holmes
James Leon Holmes was an Article III federal judge with the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas. He joined the court in 2003 after a nomination by President George W. Bush (R). He retired from the court on February 5, 2020. Holmes served as the chief judge of the court from 2005 to 2012.[1][2]
Biography
Early life and education
Born in Hazen, Arkansas, Holmes graduated from Arkansas State University with his bachelor's degree in 1973 and received his Master's degree from Northern Illinois University in 1976. Holmes earned a Ph.D from Duke University in 1979 and later obtained his J.D. degree from the University of Arkansas Law School in 1982.[1]
Professional career
Holmes was a law clerk to Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Frank Holt from 1982 to 1983. Holmes was a private practice attorney in the State of Arkansas from 1983 to 1990 and again from 1992 to 2004. He served as an adjunct faculty member in the Political Science Department at the University of Arkansas in 1983 before becoming a tutor and professor at Thomas Aquinas College from 1990 to 1992. Holmes was a faculty member of the University of Arkansas School of Law in 2002.[1]
Judicial nominations and appointments
Eastern District of Arkansas
Holmes was nominated to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas by President George W. Bush on January 29, 2003, to a seat vacated by Stephen Reasoner. Holmes was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on July 6, 2004, and received commission on July 7, 2004. He began his term as chief judge in 2005.[1][3] Holmes assumed senior status on March 31, 2018.[2]
Noteworthy cases
Lee County School District Racial Discrimination Case (2012)
- See also: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas (Sharon Sanders v. Lee County School Dist. No. 1, et al, 2:08-cv-00219-JLH)
- See also: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas (Sharon Sanders v. Lee County School Dist. No. 1, et al, 2:08-cv-00219-JLH)
Arkansas: On February 29, 2012, the United States Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit partially overturned a ruling of the Eastern District of Arkansas, finding the Lee County School District to be guilty of federal discrimination law. Sharon Sanders, a former school finance coordinator, took the district to court following her demotion and subsequent recommendation for dismissal on the basis of race discrimination. According to court records, Sanders and another administrator were demoted following an election where the school board became comprised of a majority of African American members.[4]
In the original suit, Sanders was awarded compensatory damages, lost wages, punitive damages, and attorney's fees by a jury. Upon appeal, a judge of the Eastern District of Arkansas revoked the lost wages and severely cut her award for attorney's fees. The ruling by the Eighth Circuit ordered new proceedings to determine fees for Sanders' attorney and punitive damages, but fundamentally agreed that she had been discriminated against on the basis of race.[4]
Jack Harold Jones case (2010)
- See also: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas (Jones v. Hobbs, 5:10CV00065 JLH)
- See also: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas (Jones v. Hobbs, 5:10CV00065 JLH)
On March 12, 2010, Judge Holmes ruled a stay of execution involving convicted murderer Jack Harold Jones, Jr. Jones who is scheduled to be executed on March 16, 2010 had his execution stayed after attorneys challenged the legality of execution under the newly passed Arkansas Methods of Execution Act. The judge found that the State of Arkansas requiring lethal injection for executing inmates could be inhumane and unconstitutional under the new law.[5]
Death row removal case (2009)
- See also: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas (Simpson v. Norris, 5:04CV00429 JLH)
- See also: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas (Simpson v. Norris, 5:04CV00429 JLH)
On September 17, 2009, Judge Holmes ruled to commute the death sentence of Sedrice Maurice Simpson, after he spent eleven years on death row. Judge Holmes agreed with Simpson's attorneys that due to his low IQ of 59 that he cannot be executed under state law which prohibits execution of individuals with a IQ below 65. Under the judge's ruling, Simpson will serve two consecutive life sentences for murdering two grocery clerks in Dallas County.[6]
See also
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas
- United States Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Federal Judicial Center, "Holmes, J[ames Leon," accessed May 10, 2021]
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, "Senior Status of Judge J. Leon Holmes," April 4, 2017
- ↑ The Library of Congress, J. Leon Holmes USDC, EDAR confirmation: PN279-108
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Arkansas News, "Court: Race behind white school employees' forced resignation," February 28, 2012 (dead link)
- ↑ 40/29 TV "Federal Judge Stays Arkansas Inmate's Execution," March 12, 2010
- ↑ Arkansas News "Federal judge orders inmate off death row," September 17, 2009 (dead link)
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Stephen Reasoner |
Eastern District of Arkansas 2004–2018 Seat #5 |
Succeeded by: Lee Rudofsky
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|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 |
Armijo • Bates • Beistline • Blackburn • Bowdre • Bunning • Bury • Caldwell • Camp • Cassell • Cebull • Clement • Clifton • Crane • Eagan • Engelhardt • Friot • Gibbons • Granade • Gregory • Gritzner • Haddon • Hartz • Heaton • Hicks • Howard • Johnson • Jorgenson • Krieger • Land • Leon • Mahan • Martinez • Martone • McConnell • Melloy • Mills • O'Brien • Parker • Payne • Prost • Reeves • Riley • Robinson • Rogers • Royal • Shedd • B. Smith • L. Smith • Walton • Wooten • Zainey | ||
| 2002 |
Africk • Anderson • Autrey • Baylson • Cercone • Chesler • Clark • Collyer • Conner • Conti • Corrigan • Davis • Davis • Dorr • England • Ericksen • Fuller • Gardner • Godbey • Griesbach • Hanen • Hovland • Hudson • Jones • Jordan • Kinkeade • Klausner • Kugler • Leighton • Linares • Moses • Marra • Martinez • Martini • Mays • McVerry • Phillips • Raggi • Reade • Rose • Rufe • Savage • Schwab • Smith • St. Eve • Walter • White • Wolfson | ||
| 2003 |
Adams • Altonaga • Bea • Benitez • Bennett • Boyle • Brack • Breen • Browning • Burns • Bybee • Callahan • Campbell • Cardone • Carney • Castel • Chertoff • Cohn • Colloton • Conrad • Coogler • Cook • Cooke • Crone • Der-Yeghiayan • Drell • Duffey • Duncan • Erickson • Feuerstein • Figa • Filip • Fischer • Fisher • Flanagan • Floyd • Frost • Gibson • Greer • Gruender • Guirola • Hall • Hardiman • Hayes • Herrera • Hicks • Holmes • Holwell • Hopkins • Houston • Irizarry • Jones • Junell • Karas • Kravitz • Martinez • McKnight • Minaldi • Montalvo • Mosman • Otero • Pickering • Prado • Pratter • Proctor • Quarles • Robart • Roberts • Robinson • Rodgers • Rodriguez • Sabraw • Sanchez • Saylor • Selna • Sharpe • Simon • Springmann • Stanceu • Steele • Stengel • Suko • Sutton • Sykes • Titus • Townes • Tymkovich • Van Antwerpen • Varlan • Wake • Wesley • White • Woodcock • Yeakel | ||
| 2004 |
Alvarez • Benton • Boyko • Covington • Diamond • Harwell • Kelley • Schiavelli • Schneider • Starrett • Watson | ||
| 2005 |
Alito • Barrett • Batten • Bianco • Brown • Burgess • Conrad • Cox • Crotty • Delgado-Colon • Dever • DuBose • Griffin • Griffith • Johnston • Kendall • Larson • Ludington • Mattice • McKeague • Neilson • Owen • Pryor • Roberts • Sandoval • Schiltz • Seabright • Smoak • Van Tatenhove • Vitaliano • Watkins • Zouhary | ||
| 2006 |
Besosa • Bumb • Chagares • Cogan • Gelpi • Golden • Gordon • Gorsuch • Guilford • Hillman • Holmes • Ikuta • D. Jordan • K. Jordan • Kavanaugh • Miller • Moore • Shepherd • Sheridan • Smith • Whitney • Wigenton | ||
| 2007 |
Anderson • Aycock • Bailey • Bryant • Davis • DeGiusti • Dow • Elrod • Fairbank • Fischer • Frizzell • Gutierrez • Hall • Hardiman • Haynes • Howard • Jarvey • Jones • Jonker • Kapala • Kays • Laplante • Limbaugh • Lioi • Livingston • Maloney • Mauskopf • Mendez • Miller • Neff • O'Connor • O'Grady • O'Neill • Osteen • Ozerden • Reidinger • Sammartino • Schroeder • Settle • Smith • Snow • Southwick • Suddaby • Sullivan • Thapar • Tinder • Van Bokkelen • Wood • Wright • Wu | ||
| 2008 |
Agee • Anello • Arguello • Brimmer • Gardephe • Goldberg • Jones • Kethledge • Lawrence • Matsumoto • Melgren • Murphy • Scriven • Seibel • Slomsky • Trenga • Waddoups • White | ||
Federal courts:
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Arkansas, Western District of Arkansas • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Arkansas, Western District of Arkansas
State courts:
Arkansas Supreme Court • Arkansas Court of Appeals • Arkansas Circuit Courts • Arkansas District Courts • Arkansas City Courts
State resources:
Courts in Arkansas • Arkansas judicial elections • Judicial selection in Arkansas
