--- title: "David Ryan Stras | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-ryan-stras" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # David Ryan Stras U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit · U.S. Circuit Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit - State: National federal courts - Role: U.S. Circuit Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, 2018-present - American judge serving on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit since January 31, 2018 - Adjunct professor, Indiana University Maurer School of Law, 2013-present - Visiting professor, Vanderbilt University Law School, 2012-present - Judge, Supreme Court of Minnesota, 2010-present - Visiting professor of law, Washington University School of Law, 2008-present - Minnesota Supreme Court: Associate Justice from July 1, 2010, to January 31, 2018, appointed by Governor Tim Pawlenty - Co-director, Institute for Law and Politics, 2007-2010 - Associate professor of law, 2004-2010 - University of Minnesota Law School: Professor of law (2004–2010) in federal courts, constitutional law, criminal law, and law/politics; co‐director of the Institute for Law and Politics - Law Clerk, Supreme Court of the United States, 2002-2003 - Law Clerk, Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, 2000-2001 - Law Clerk, Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 1999-2000 - In summary, David Ryan Stras is a highly experienced jurist with a background in appellate law, state supreme court service, academia, and high‐profile clerkships, now serving as an active judge on the Eighth Circuit ### Education - J.D. & M.B.A., University of Kansas School of Law and School of Business, 1999. - University of Kansas — B.A. (1995) ### Additional information - Adjunct faculty member, University of Iowa College of Law, 2014-present - Adjunct professor, 2011-present - As of 2026, Stras has authored and sat on numerous appellate cases, including Jamestown Villas v. - 4, 2026) and United States v. - Nominated by President Donald J. Trump on January 8, 2018, to replace Diana E. Murphy. - The Senate confirmed him 56–42 on January 30, 2018, and he received his judicial commission the next day. - University of Minnesota Law School, 2004-2011 - Vance K. Opperman research scholar, 2009-2010 - Private practice, Minneapolis, MN, 2009-2010 - Associate professor of political science (through affiliation), 2008-2010 - Practitioner, 2009-2009 - legis, 2009-2009 - Hugo Black faculty fellow, University of Alabama School of Law, 2003-2004 - Legal Clerkships: Hon. Melvin Brunetti, 9th Circuit (1999–2000) Hon. J. Michael Luttig, 4th Circuit (2000–2001) Hon. Clarence Thomas, U.S. Supreme Court (2002–2003) - Private Practice: White‐collar criminal and appellate litigation at Sidley Austin in Washington, D.C. (2001–2002). - Born 1974 in Wichita, Kansas. - Date of birth: 1974-01-01 - Well‐qualified judge according to the American Bar Association. - Wichita Southeast High School - His work spans civil, criminal, and constitutional matters. - Birth place: Wichita, KS ## 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 ### appellate oral argument Scope: courtwide In federal courts of appeals, oral argument is allowed unless a three-judge panel unanimously finds one of Rule 34's specified grounds for dispensing with it; the clerk provides the date, time, place, and time allocation. Evidence excerpt: Oral argument must be allowed in every case unless a panel of three judges who have examined the briefs and record unanimously agrees that oral argument is unnecessary [Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34, Oral Argument](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-appellate-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/4097796) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/4097796) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/4097796) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8638/david-ryan-stras/) - [Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34, Oral Argument](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-appellate-procedure) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8638/david-ryan-stras/) - [Wikidata: David Stras](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5240135) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-ryan-stras", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-ryan-stras", "name": "David Ryan Stras | KnowJudges", "description": "David Ryan Stras, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. 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