{ "id": "ep6s2yreqb", "slug": "paul-k-holmes-iii", "title": "Paul K. Holmes III", "updated": "2026-09-29", "topic_path": [ { "id": "society", "label": "Society and history", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society" }, { "id": "society.law", "label": "Law and justice", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.law" }, { "id": "society.law.practice", "label": "Courts and legal practice", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.law.practice" }, { "id": "society.law.practice.people", "label": "Legal biographies", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.law.practice.people" }, { "id": "society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us", "label": "United States judges", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us" }, { "id": "society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us.federal", "label": "US federal judges", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us.federal" }, { "id": "society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us.federal.article3", "label": "Article III judges (district and appellate)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us.federal.article3" }, { "id": "society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us.federal.article3.district-judges", "label": "United States district court judges", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us.federal.article3.district-judges" }, { "id": "society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us.federal.article3.district-judges.alpha-h", "label": "Surnames H", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us.federal.article3.district-judges.alpha-h" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.us.t2021.society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us.federal.article3.district-judges.alpha-h", "label": "United States · 2021 and later: Surnames H", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us.federal.article3.district-judges.alpha-h", "path": [ { "id": "geo.us", "label": "United States", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021", "label": "United States · 2021 and later", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.society", "label": "Society and history", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.society" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.society.law", "label": "Law and justice", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.society.law" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.society.law.practice", "label": "Courts and legal practice", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.society.law.practice" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.society.law.practice.people", "label": "Legal biographies", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.society.law.practice.people" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us", "label": "United States judges", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us.federal", "label": "US federal judges", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us.federal" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us.federal.article3.district-judges", "label": "United States district court judges", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us.federal.article3.district-judges" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us.federal.article3.district-judges.alpha-h", "label": "Surnames H", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us.federal.article3.district-judges.alpha-h" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Paul Kinloch Holmes III (born 1951) is an American jurist, a senior United States district judge for the Western District of Arkansas appointed by President Barack Obama in 2011.", "snippet": "Paul Kinloch Holmes III (born 1951) is an American jurist, a senior United States district judge for the Western District of Arkansas appointed by President Barack Obama in 2011.", "node": "society.law.practice.people.people.judges.us.federal.article3.district-judges.alpha-h", "markdown": "# Paul K. Holmes III\n\nPaul Kinloch Holmes III (born 1951) is an American jurist serving as a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas since 2021[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393601). He was appointed to the court by President Barack Obama in 2011 and served as its chief judge from 2012 to 2019[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393601).\n\n| Fact | Detail |\n| --- | --- |\n| Court | U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393601) |\n| Appointed by | Barack Obama[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393601) |\n| Confirmed | February 7, 2011 (Senate voted 95 to 0)[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393601) • [2](https://voteview.com/rollcall/RS1120013) |\n| Senior status | November 10, 2021[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393601) |\n| Born | 1951 in Newport, Arkansas[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393601) |\n| Education | B.A., Westminster College, 1973; J.D., University of Arkansas School of Law, 1978[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393601) |\n\n## Early life and education\n\nHolmes was born in 1951 in Newport, Arkansas[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393601). He received a [Bachelor of Arts](https://www.edgepedia.org/bachelor-of-arts) from Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, in 1973 and a [Juris Doctor](https://www.edgepedia.org/juris-doctor) from the University of Arkansas School of Law in 1978[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393601).\n\n## Legal career\n\nHolmes entered private practice in [Fort Smith, Arkansas](https://www.edgepedia.org/fort-smith-arkansas), in 1978[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393601). In 1993 he became United States attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, serving until 2001[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393601). He then returned to private practice in Fort Smith from 2001 to 2011[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393601).\n\n## Federal judicial service\n\nPresident [Barack Obama](https://www.edgepedia.org/barack-obama) first nominated Holmes to the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas on April 28, 2010, but no Senate vote was taken on that nomination[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393601). Obama renominated him on January 5, 2011[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393601). The Senate confirmed the nomination on February 7, 2011, by a vote of 95 to 0[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393601) • [2](https://voteview.com/rollcall/RS1120013). He received his commission on February 8, 2011[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393601).\n\nHolmes served as chief judge of the Western District of Arkansas from 2012 to 2019[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393601). He assumed senior status on November 10, 2021[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393601).\n\n## Notable cases\n\nAmong the published opinions attributed to Holmes in the CourtListener corpus, the most cited is *Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. v. General Electric Co.*, which has been cited six times in that corpus[3](https://judicialfinder.com/judges/paul-holmes-iii). JudicialFinder's data, drawn from CourtListener's PACER-derived docket records, shows Holmes assigned 1,707 district-court cases, with a median time from filing to termination of 240 days across 1,706 closed cases[3](https://judicialfinder.com/judges/paul-holmes-iii). Of 157 of his decisions reviewed on the merits by the courts of appeals in that data, 128 were affirmed, 25 were reversed or vacated, and 4 were affirmed in part and reversed in part[3](https://judicialfinder.com/judges/paul-holmes-iii).\n\n## References\n\n1. [Biographical Directory of Article III Federal Judges: Paul Kinloch Holmes, III](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393601)\n2. [Senate Roll Call Vote, February 7, 2011](https://voteview.com/rollcall/RS1120013)\n3. [Paul Kinloch Holmes III: Judge, Western District of Arkansas](https://judicialfinder.com/judges/paul-holmes-iii)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Law and justice › Courts and legal practice › Legal biographies › United States judges › US federal judges › Article III judges (district and appellate) › United States district court judges › Surnames H*\n\n*Initially written Sep 27, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 28, 2026; Sep 29, 2026 · Edited: Sep 28, 2026 · Last review: Sep 29, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-k-holmes-iii", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-k-holmes-iii.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Paul K. Holmes III\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-k-holmes-iii. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Paul K. Holmes III](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-k-holmes-iii)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-k-holmes-iii](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-k-holmes-iii). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Paul K. Holmes III\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-k-holmes-iii. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Paul Kinloch Holmes III is an American jurist, a senior United States district judge for the Western District of Arkansas appointed by President Barack Obama in 2011." }