--- title: "Steven M. Colloton | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/steven-m-colloton" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Steven M. Colloton 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, 2003-present - He became chief judge of the Eighth Circuit in 2024 - U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Iowa, 2001-2003 - He also worked as an associate independent counsel in Kenneth Starr’s office (1995–1996) and later as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa (2000–2003),. - He held the role of a special assistant to the Attorney General in the Office of Legal Counsel (1990–1991) and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Iowa (1991–1999) - Special assistant to the assistant attorney general, Office of Legal Counsel, U.S. Department of Justice, 1990-1991 - Law clerk, Hon. William H. Rehnquist, Supreme Court of the United States, 1989-1990 - After law school, Colloton clerked for Judge Laurence Silberman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (1988–1989) and for Chief Justice William Rehnquist of the U.S. Supreme Court (1989–1990). - Law clerk, Hon. Laurence H. Silberman, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, 1988-1989 - Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit ### Education - Yale University — J.D. (1988) - Yale Law School in, serving as an articles editor for the Yale Law Journal and winning the Potter Stewart Prize in moot court — J.D. (1988) - He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree, summa cum laude, from Princeton University in 1985, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and the Ivy Club. ### Additional information - Adjunct lecturer, University of Iowa College of Law, 2000-present - Also included on President Donald Trump’s 2018 list of potential Supreme Court nominees. - Nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit by President George W. Bush on February 12, 2003, to fill the seat vacated by David R. Hansen. - He was confirmed by the Senate on September 4, 2003, by a 94-1 vote - received his commission on September 10, 2003. - Private practice, Iowa, 1999-2001 - Associate independent counsel, Whitewater investigation, 1995-1996 - Steven Michael Colloton, born January 9, 1963, in Iowa City, Iowa, is a prominent American jurist and lawyer. - Date of birth: 1963-01-01 - Princeton School of Public and International Affairs - Throughout his judicial career, Colloton has authored significant opinions, including rulings on the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, and cases involving Eighth Amendment challenges to lethal injection protocols. - His decisions have sometimes split circuits but have also been upheld by the Supreme Court, reflecting his influence on federal appellate jurisprudence. - Colloton’s career reflects a combination of federal prosecutorial experience, high-level judicial clerkships, and appellate judicial service, establishing him as a leading figure in the federal judiciary. - Birth place: Iowa City, IA ## 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/1391956) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391956) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391956) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/686/steven-m-colloton/) - [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/686/steven-m-colloton/) - [Wikidata: Steven Colloton](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7614578) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/steven-m-colloton", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/steven-m-colloton", "name": "Steven M. 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