Stephen M. Reasoner

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title: "Stephen M. Reasoner" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1944-births", "2004-deaths", "judges-of-the-united-states-district-court-for-the-eastern-district-of-arkansas", "united-states-district-court-judges-appointed-by-ronald-reagan", "united-states-army-soldiers", "university-of-arkansas-school-of-law-alumni", "lawyers-from-houston", "united-states-army-reservists"] description: "American judge" topic_path: "law" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_M._Reasoner" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American judge ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox judge"]

Field	Value
name	Stephen M. Reasoner
office	Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas
term_start	September 19, 2002
term_end	August 14, 2004
office1	Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas
term_start1	1991
term_end1	1998
predecessor1	Garnett Thomas Eisele
successor1	Susan Webber Wright
office2	Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas
term_start2	February 26, 1988
term_end2	September 19, 2002
appointer2	Ronald Reagan
predecessor2	William Overton
successor2	James Leon Holmes
birth_date
birth_place	Houston, Texas, U.S.
death_date
death_place	Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
education	University of Arkansas (B.A.)
University of Arkansas School of Law (J.D.)
::

| honorific-prefix = | name = Stephen M. Reasoner | honorific-suffix = | image = | alt = | caption = | office = Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas | term_start = September 19, 2002 | term_end = August 14, 2004 | office1 = Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas | term_start1 = 1991 | term_end1 = 1998 | predecessor1 = Garnett Thomas Eisele | successor1 = Susan Webber Wright | office2 = Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas | term_start2 = February 26, 1988 | term_end2 = September 19, 2002 | nominator2 = | appointer2 = Ronald Reagan | predecessor2 = William Overton | successor2 = James Leon Holmes | pronunciation = | birth_name = | birth_date = | birth_place = Houston, Texas, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. | death_cause = | resting_place = | resting_place_coordinates = | citizenship = | nationality = | party = | otherparty = | height = | spouse = | partner = | relations = | children = | parents = | mother = | father = | relatives = | residence = | education = University of Arkansas (B.A.) University of Arkansas School of Law (J.D.) | alma_mater = | occupation = | profession = | known_for = | salary = | net_worth = | cabinet = | committees = | portfolio = | religion = | awards = | signature = | signature_alt = | website = | footnotes =

Stephen Mathew Reasoner (May 7, 1944 – August 14, 2004) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas.

Education and career

Born in Houston, Texas, Reasoner received a Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Arkansas in 1966. He received a Juris Doctor from University of Arkansas School of Law in 1969.

He was in the United States Army Reserve from 1969 to 1973 where he was in the 218th Military Intelligence Detachment and became a specialist 4th class. He was in private practice of law in Jonesboro, Arkansas from 1969 to 1988.

Federal judicial service

Reasoner was nominated by President Ronald Reagan on December 19, 1987, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas vacated by Judge William Overton. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 25, 1988, and received commission on February 26, 1988. He served as Chief Judge from 1991 to 1998. He assumed senior status on September 17, 2002 due to a certified disability.

His service was terminated on August 14, 2004, due to his death in Little Rock, Arkansas.

References

Sources

References

1. (1989). "Confirmation Hearings on Federal Appointments: Hearings before the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, One Hundredth Congress, First Session, Part 5". U.S. Government Printing Office.
2. "Reasoner, Stephen M. - Federal Judicial Center".
3. "The Honorable Stephen M. Reasoner Obituary Notice".

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