United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas

The Eastern District of Arkansas is divided into five divisions:[1]

The Western District of Arkansas is divided into six divisions:[1]

The Bankruptcy Act of 1898 (Act of July 1, 1898, ch. 541, 30 Stat. 544) was the first permanent bankruptcy law and remained in effect until the passage of the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978 (Pub.L. 95–598, 92 Stat. 2549, November 6, 1978). The 1898 Act created "courts of bankruptcy" defined as the district courts of the United States. The 1898 Act also created the office of referee. The referee was appointed for two-year terms by the District Court. The 1978 Act established United States bankruptcy courts in each federal judicial district with their own clerks and other staff. The first bankruptcy clerk's office was located at the Richard Sheppard Arnold United States Post Office and Courthouse, 600 W. Capitol Avenue, Little Rock, Arkansas. In 1993, a staffed divisional office was opened in the John Paul Hammerschmidt Federal Building in Fayetteville, Arkansas. In 1997, the bankruptcy court moved to its current location in the newly renovated Old Post Office and Courthouse (aka Old Post Office and Customs House or the Old Federal Building) located at 300 W. 2nd Street in Little Rock.

District/Divisional History

Date	Statute	Change	Map
June 15, 1836	5 Stat. 50	Creates the State of Arkansas and the "Arkansas District"[2][3]	Arkansas District - 1836
June 17, 1844	5 Stat. 680	Arkansas District is given authority over "Indian Territory"[2]	Arkansas District - 1844
March 3, 1851	9 Stat. 594	Arkansas is divided into two districts: Western District consisting of Benton, Washington, Crawford, Scott, Polk, Franklin, Johnson, Madison, Carroll, and "Indian country." Eastern District consisting of "the residue of said State."[2]	Arkansas districts - 1851
March 27, 1854	10 Stat. 269	Sevier and Sebastian counties added to the Western Judicial District.[2]	Arkansas districts - 1854
March 3, 1871	16 Stat. 471	The counties of Phillips, Crittenden, Mississippi, Craighead, Greene, Randolph, Lawrence, Sharp, Poinsett, Cross, Saint Francis, Monroe, Woodruff, Jackson, Independence, Izzard, Marion, Fulton, and Boone were moved to the Western District of Arkansas.[2]	Arkansas districts - 1871
January 31, 1877	19 Stat. 230	State re-divided. Western District to include the counties of Benton, Washington, Crawford, Sebastian, Scott, Polk, Sevier, Little River, Howard, Montgomery, Yell, Logan, Franklin, Johnson, Madison, Newton, Carroll, Boone, Marion and Indian Territory. Eastern the residue.[3]	Arkansas districts - 1877
January 6, 1883	22 Stat. 400	Indian Territory divided up between other district courts.[3]	Arkansas districts - 1883
June 19, 1886	24 Stat. 83	Moving counties Howard, Little River, and Sevier moved to the Eastern District.[3]	Arkansas districts - 1886
February 17, 1887	24 Stat. 406	Eastern District divided into two divisions: Eastern and Western Divisions. The Eastern Division shall consist of Mississippi, Crittenden, Lee, Phillips, Clay, Craighead, Poinsett, Greene, Cross, Saint Francis, and Monroe. Western Division the remaining counties.[3]	Arkansas districts - Feb 17,1887
February 28, 1887	24 Stat. 428	Creation of Texarkana Division within Eastern District. Counties: Columbia, Howard, Hempstead, La Fayette, Little River, Miller, Nevada, Ouachita, Pike, and Sevier.[3]	Arkansas districts - Feb 28, 1887
March 1, 1889	25 Stat. 783	Removed Indian Territory from the Western District.[3]	Arkansas districts - 1889
February 9, 1892	27 Stat. 3	An act to move Montgomery county to the Eastern District, Western Division.[4]	Arkansas districts - 1892
February 20, 1897	29 Stat. 590	Reorganizing Districts: Western District includes Benton, Washington, Carroll, Boone, Madison, Newton, Crawford, Franklin, Johnson, Logan, Sebastian, Scott, Yell, Polk, Sevier, Howard, Pike, Little River, Hempstead, Miller, Lafayette, Nevada, Columbia, Union, Ouachita, and Calhoun. The Eastern District shall include the residue of state. The Northern Division is created and gets the following counties: Independence, Cleburne, Stone, Izard, Baxter, Searcy, Marion, Sharp, Fulton, Randolph, Lawrence, and Jackson. Eastern Division: Mississippi, Crittenden, Lee, Phillips, Clay, Craighead, Poinsett, Greene, Cross, St. Francis, and Monroe. The remaining counties will be the Western Division. The Western District is hereby divided into two divisions: Texarkana and Fort Smith Divisions. Texarkana Division shall include: Sevier, Howard, Pike, Little River, Hempstead, Miller, LaFayette, Columbia, Nevada, Ouachita, Calhoun, and Union. The remaining counties in the Western District shall be the Fort Smith Division.[5]	Arkansas districts - 1897
March 18, 1902	32 Stat. 72	Move Baxter, Marion and Searcy to the Western District and create the third division, Harrison, consisting of Baxter, Boone, Carroll, Madison, Marion, Newton, and Searcy.[6]	Arkansas districts - 1902
March 3, 1911	36 Stat. 1106	Woodruff moved from Western Division to Eastern Division. Fulton, Randolph, and Lawrence moved from Northern Division to the new Jonesboro Division. Clay, Craighead, Greene, Mississippi, and Poinsett moved from the Eastern Division to the new Jonesboro Division.[7]	Arkansas districts - 1911
March 4, 1915	38 Stat. 1193	Desha and Chicot moved from Western Division to Eastern Division. Yell moved from Fort Smith Division to the Eastern District, Western Division.[8]	Arkansas districts - 1915
April 12, 1924	43 Stat. 90	Chicot county moved from Eastern Division to Western Division.[9]	Arkansas districts - 1924
February 17, 1925	43 Stat. 948	El Dorado Division created with Columbia, Ouachita, Calhoun, Union from the Texarkana Division.[9]	Arkansas districts - 1925
April 16, 1926	44 Stat. 296	Bradley and Ashley added to El Dorado from the Western Division of the Eastern District.[10]	Arkansas districts - Apr 16, 1926
April 21, 1926	44 Stat. 304	Moved Fulton from Jonesboro Division to "Batesville Division" (Northern Division).[10]	Arkansas districts - Apr 21, 1926
April 17, 1940	54 Stat. 109	Fayetteville Division created with Benton, Washington (both taken from Fort Smith Division), and Madison (taken from Harrison Division).[11]	Arkansas districts - Apr 17, 1940
June 11, 1940	54 Stat. 302	Hot Springs Division created from Pike and from Montgomery, Garland, Hot Spring, and Clark (the last four being from Western Division, Eastern District).[11]	Arkansas districts - Jun 11, 1940
May 20, 1961	75 Stat. 84	Pine Bluff Division created from Desha (from the Eastern Division) and Grant, Dallas, Jefferson, Cleveland, Lincoln, Drew, Arkansas, and Chicot (from the Western Division).[12]	Arkansas districts - 1961

• U. S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas official website