[1] Moody is the son of former Judge James Maxwell Moody, who retired from active service on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas when his son was elevated to the federal bench.

[2] He received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree in 1986 from the University of Arkansas.

He received his Juris Doctor in 1989 from the University of Arkansas Bowen School of Law.

[3][4] On July 25, 2013, President Barack Obama nominated Moody to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, to the seat being vacated by Judge Susan Webber Wright, who assumed senior status on August 22, 2013.

[7] On February 12, 2014, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid filed for cloture on Moody's nomination.