Jimm Larry Hendren (born June 11, 1940 in Gravette, Arkansas) is an inactive senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas.

Jimm Larry Hendren
Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas
Assumed office
December 31, 2012
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas
In office
1997–2012
Preceded byHugh Franklin Waters
Succeeded byPaul K. Holmes III
Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas
In office
March 18, 1992 – December 31, 2012
Appointed byGeorge H. W. Bush
Preceded bySeat established by 104 Stat. 5089
Succeeded byTimothy L. Brooks
Personal details
Born (1940-06-11) June 11, 1940 (age 84)
Gravette, Arkansas, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Arkansas (BA, LLB)

Education and career

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Hendren graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Arkansas in 1964 and then received a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Arkansas School of Law in 1965. Later that year Hendren would join the JAG Corps of the United States Navy, returning in 1968, for a year, to his private practice in Bentonville, Arkansas, which he would expand in later years. In 1970 Hendren became a United States Naval Reserve Lieutenant Commander, a position he would hold until 1983. Meanwhile, in 1977, he became a probate judge (Chancellor) of Arkansas' Sixteenth Chancery District, before returning again to his private practice.[1]

Federal judicial service

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Hendren was nominated by George H. W. Bush as a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas on November 5, 1991, to a new seat created by 104 Statute 5089. The nomination was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 13, 1992, and Hendren received his commission on March 18, 1992. He served as the Chief Judge from 1997 until he assumed senior status on December 31, 2012.[1] As of 2020, he is the last judge appointed to the Western District of Arkansas by a Republican president.

Notable case

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Hendren is well known for ruling in favor of Billy Ray and Mary Nell Counts, a couple in Cedarville, Arkansas, in the 2003 lawsuit Counts et ux. v. Cedarville School Board. The court decided that the local school's rule requiring parents' written consent to read the Harry Potter books was unconstitutional.[2] The district court's opinion can be found here, and the decision was cited as precedent in subsequent censorship cases.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Hendren, Jimm Larry - Federal Judicial Center". www.fjc.gov.
  2. ^ "Judge Smites Harry Potter Restrictions in Arkansas". American Library Association. 2003-04-28. Archived from the original on 2007-03-11. Retrieved 2007-03-13.
  3. ^ "Fayetteville Rethinks Restricted Reads". American Library Association. 2005. Archived from the original on 2007-06-06. Retrieved 2007-05-30.
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Legal offices
Preceded by
Seat established by 104 Stat. 5089
Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas
1992–2012
Succeeded by
Preceded by Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas
1997–2012
Succeeded by