U.S. Court of Appeals
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
Active judges
| Judge | Status | Appointed by | Senate vote | Commissioned |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steven M. Colloton | Chief Judge | George W. Bush Republican | 94/1 | Sept. 10, 2003 |
| James B. Loken | Active | George H.W. Bush Republican | — | Oct. 17, 1990 |
| Lavenski R. Smith | Active | George W. Bush Republican | — | July 19, 2002 |
| Raymond W. Gruender | Active | George W. Bush Republican | 97/1 | June 5, 2004 |
| Bobby E. Shepherd | Active | George W. Bush Republican | — | Oct. 10, 2006 |
| Jane Louise Kelly | Active | Barack Obama Democratic | 96/0 | April 25, 2013 |
| Leonard Steven Grasz | Active | Donald J. Trump Republican | 50/48 | Jan. 3, 2018 |
| David Ryan Stras | Active | Donald J. Trump Republican | 56/42 | Jan. 31, 2018 |
| Jonathan Allen Kobes | Active | Donald J. Trump Republican | 51/50 | Dec. 12, 2018 |
| Justin Daniel Smith | Active | Donald J. Trump Republican | 48/43 | June 18, 2026 |
| Daniel Mack Traynor | Active | Donald J. Trump Republican | 48/47 | July 24, 2026 |
Senior judges
Judges who have taken senior status and continue to hear cases.
| Judge | Status | Appointed by | Senate vote | Senior status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pasco Middleton Bowman II | Senior | Ronald Reagan Republican | — | Aug. 1, 2003 |
| Roger Leland Wollman | Senior | Ronald Reagan Republican | — | Dec. 14, 2018 |
| David Rasmussen Hansen | Senior | George H.W. Bush Republican | — | April 1, 2003 |
| Morris Sheppard Arnold | Senior | George H.W. Bush Republican | — | Oct. 9, 2006 |
| Michael Joseph Melloy | Senior | George W. Bush Republican | 91/0 | Feb. 1, 2013 |
| William Duane Benton | Senior | George W. Bush Republican | — | June 21, 2026 |
| Ralph R. Erickson | Senior | Donald J. Trump Republican | 95/1 | July 28, 2026 |
Appointment history
Sitting judges grouped by the party of the president who appointed them. This records who nominated each judge; Benchlight does not assign judges a political affiliation of their own.
| Party of appointing president | Active | Senior |
|---|---|---|
| Republican | 10 | 7 |
| Democratic | 1 | 0 |
Computed by Benchlight Counted from Federal Judicial Center appointment records for judges currently in service on this court.
Recent cases
| Case | No. | Status | Decided |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States v. Zavion McGee | 25-1264 | Argued — awaiting decision | |
| United States v. Richard Viebranz | 25-3178 | Argued — awaiting decision | |
| United States v. Ricardo Steward | 26-1675 | Argued — awaiting decision | |
| United States v. Mark Moss | 25-3252 | Argued — awaiting decision | |
| United States v. Lloyd Franklin | 26-1266 | Argued — awaiting decision | |
| United States v. Dante Beard | 25-3519 | Argued — awaiting decision | |
| United States v. Carl Bowman | 26-1129 | Argued — awaiting decision | |
| United States v. Alantae Garner | 25-2879 | Argued — awaiting decision | |
| Rinsi Espino-Munoz v. Todd Blanche | 26-1131 | Argued — awaiting decision | |
| United States v. Michael Patton | 25-3498 | Argued — awaiting decision | |
| United States v. Jiovanni Thompson | 25-3052 | Argued — awaiting decision | |
| United States v. Isidro Barajas, Jr. | 25-2530 | Argued — awaiting decision | |
| Tanaria Heard v. Jefferson County, Arkansas | 25-3130 | Argued — awaiting decision | |
| Wilbur-Ellis Company LLC v. Cody Downing | 25-2865 | Argued — awaiting decision | |
| United States v. Steven Conroy | 26-1113 | Argued — awaiting decision |