---
title: "Margaret A. Ryan | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/margaret-a-ryan-6798"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-07"
---

# Margaret A. Ryan

Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces · U.S. Circuit Judge

## Profile

- Court: Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
- State: National federal courts
- Role: U.S. Circuit Judge
- Service status: active
- Last verified: 2026-06-30

## Biography

### Professional career

- Judge, Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, 2006-present
- In summary: Judge Margaret A. Ryan is a retired federal appellate judge and senior judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, now serving in a leadership role at the SEC before resigning in 2026, with a career marked by military service, high-level legal work, and academic contributions
- Before joining the court, Ryan had a distinguished career in the U.S. Marine Corps (1987–1999) as a judge advocate, including deployments to the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, and Okinawa
- Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
- Lecturer on Law (Military Law & Justice) at Harvard Law School and has held visiting professorships at Notre Dame and other institutions
- held the role of law clerk to Judge J. Michael Luttig (4th Circuit) and to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas

### Education

- summa cum laude, University of Notre Dame Law School, Colonel William J. Hoynes Award for Outstanding Scholarship — J.D. (1995)
- in Political Science, cum laude, Knox College — B.A. (1985)

### Additional information

- In March 2026, she resigned from this role, citing a desire to continue public service in a different capacity
- In September 2025, Ryan was appointed Director of the Division of Enforcement at the SEC
- judge from December 20, 2006, until July 31, 2020, when she became a Senior Judge
- Appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces by President George W. Bush on November 15, 2006, and confirmed by the Senate on December 9, 2006
- Date of birth: 1964-05-23
- Homewood-Flossmoor High School
- This court has appellate jurisdiction over U.S. military members under the Uniform Code of Military Justice
- During her tenure, she led a strategic shift in the division’s focus toward fraud, market manipulation, and abuses of trust, prioritizing cases with meaningful investor protection over technical violations
- She is also an elected member of the American Law Institute
- Awards: Meritorious Service Medal, Navy & Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy & Marine Corps Achievement Medal
- Birth place: Chicago

## Sources

- [Official profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/6798/margaret-a-ryan/)
- [Official roster](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/6798/margaret-a-ryan/)
- [Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces current judicial profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/6798/margaret-a-ryan/)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/6798/margaret-a-ryan/)
- [SEC.gov | SEC Names Judge Margaret Ryan as Director of the Division of Enforcement](https://www.sec.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2025-108-sec-names-judge-margaret-ryan-director-division-enforcement)
- [Wikidata: Margaret A. Ryan](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1894791)

## JSON-LD

```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@graph": [
    {
      "@type": "WebPage",
      "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/margaret-a-ryan-6798",
      "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/margaret-a-ryan-6798",
      "name": "Margaret A. Ryan | KnowJudges",
      "description": "Margaret A. Ryan, Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.",
      "dateModified": "2026-10-07",
      "isPartOf": {
        "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website"
      },
      "mainEntity": {
        "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/margaret-a-ryan-6798#judge"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Person",
      "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/margaret-a-ryan-6798#judge",
      "name": "Margaret A. Ryan",
      "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/margaret-a-ryan-6798",
      "jobTitle": "U.S. Circuit Judge",
      "worksFor": {
        "@type": "GovernmentOrganization",
        "name": "Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces"
      },
      "sameAs": [
        "https://www.courtlistener.com/person/6798/margaret-a-ryan/"
      ],
      "birthDate": "1964-05-23",
      "birthPlace": "Chicago",
      "alumniOf": [
        {
          "@type": "EducationalOrganization",
          "name": "Homewood-Flossmoor High School"
        },
        {
          "@type": "EducationalOrganization",
          "name": "Knox College"
        },
        {
          "@type": "EducationalOrganization",
          "name": "Notre Dame Law School"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
      "itemListElement": [
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 1,
          "name": "KnowJudges",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 2,
          "name": "National federal courts",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/national-federal-courts"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 3,
          "name": "Margaret A. Ryan",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/margaret-a-ryan-6798"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}
```


## Published courtroom rules

### Shared court rules

- [Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces — hearing notice](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-12c9dc2d4cb2c9bece48bc93) — CAAF only; compilation amended through May 29, 2026. Court may order otherwise; not applicable to ordinary federal circuits. Shared baseline only, not a judge-specific preference or complete local rules inventory. Apply source exceptions, case-type limits, later amendments and case orders. [Official source](https://www.armfor.uscourts.gov/library/Rules/Rules2026MayAmendedThrough29May2026.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.