--- title: "Daniel Mack Traynor | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/daniel-m-traynor" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Daniel Mack Traynor U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota - State: North Dakota - Role: Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-10-02 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Shareholder, Traynor Law Firm, Devils Lake, ND (1998–2020) - Law clerk, Hon. Gerald W. VandeWalle, North Dakota Supreme Court, 1997-1998 - Law clerk to Chief Justice Gerald W. VandeWalle, North Dakota Supreme Court (1997–1998) - American judge currently serving on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit ### Education - University of North Dakota School of Law — J.D. (1997) - University of North Dakota — B.A. (1994) ### Additional information - U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota In office: January 13, 2020 – July 28, 2026 Appointed: Nominated September 19, 2019 by President Trump; confirmed December 19, 2019 by a 51–41 Senate vote Predecessor: Daniel L. Hovland; succeeded by Traynor - Assistant city attorney, Devils Lake, North Dakota, 1998-2020 - Private practice, Devils Lake, North Dakota, 1998-2020 - Born 1970 in Devils Lake, North Dakota. - Date of birth: 1970 - focusing on insurance defense, personal injury, and business litigation - Birth place: Devils Lake ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### presentation procedure Scope: courtwide Courtwide presentation-related guidance applies to this judge. Evidence excerpt: Individuals leaving a courtroom while court is in session or during a recess may not loiter in the halls and must abide by this rule to reenter. (C) ELECTRONIC DEVICES Devices are allowed in the courthouse, including courtrooms. In a courtroom, devices must be turned off or muted, and authorized use of a device must… [Local_Rules.pdf](https://www.ndd.uscourts.gov/lci/Local_Rules.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-24 ### civil remote testimony Scope: courtwide In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards. Evidence excerpt: For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location. [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### criminal recording and broadcasting Scope: courtwide Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception. Evidence excerpt: Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom. [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/7544351) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/7544351) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/7544351) - [Local_Rules.pdf](https://www.ndd.uscourts.gov/lci/Local_Rules.pdf) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [Wikidata: Daniel M. Traynor](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q66816504) - [Judge Daniel Mack Traynor](https://www.fjc.gov/node/7544351) - [Local_Rules.pdf](https://www.ndd.uscourts.gov/lci/Local_Rules.pdf) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [Wikidata: Daniel M. Traynor](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q66816504) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/daniel-m-traynor", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/daniel-m-traynor", "name": "Daniel Mack Traynor | KnowJudges", "description": "Daniel Mack Traynor, U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-09", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/daniel-m-traynor#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/daniel-m-traynor#judge", "name": "Daniel Mack Traynor", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/daniel-m-traynor", "jobTitle": "Judge", "worksFor": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.fjc.gov/node/7544351" ], "birthDate": "1970", "birthPlace": "Devils Lake", "alumniOf": [ { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "University of North Dakota" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "University of North Dakota School of Law" } ] }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "KnowJudges", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "North Dakota", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/north-dakota" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Daniel Mack Traynor", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/daniel-m-traynor" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 45 | 9 | Not available | 9 | | 2y | 93 | 28 | 2.3 | 28 | | 5y | 206 | 112 | 7.8 | 112 | | 10y | 305 | 208 | 9.8 | 208 | Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/ ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-651872d6e45e0d82319ecccc) — Civil actions in United States District Courts; Rule 81 exceptions apply. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-civil-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8721a344fececced2257fe1d) — Criminal proceedings in United States District Courts; this conservative mapping does not distribute appellate-specific provisions to appellate judges. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.