Who appointed David Ryan Stras?

President Donald J. Trump appointed David Ryan Stras to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in 2018.

Was David Ryan Stras appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?

David Ryan Stras was appointed by President Donald J. Trump, a Republican. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.

What was David Ryan Stras's confirmation vote?

The Senate confirmed David Ryan Stras 56–42 on January 30, 2018.

Eighth Circuit / Appointed 2018 / Active

David Ryan Stras

Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit

Appointed by President Donald J. Trump in 2018 and confirmed by the Senate 56–42, David Ryan Stras is a Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. He earned a law degree from University of Kansas School of Law in 1999. Sources ↓

Born: 1974 · age 52
Appointed by: Donald J. Trump, 2018
Confirmed: 56–42
Education: University of Kansas 1995 · University of Kansas Law 1999
Succeeded: Diana E. Murphy

Federal judicial service

Year	Court	Appointed by	Vote
2018	Eighth Circuit succeeded Diana E. Murphy	Trump (R)	56–42

Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own.

Confirmation vote

Nomination Confirmed 56–42 on January 30, 2018 · 115th Congress, Roll Call 27. Each senator links to their judicial-voting record.

Voted to confirm · 56

7 D, 49 R

Voted against · 42

40 D, 2 I

Did not vote · 2

2 R

Shelley Capito(R-WV)
John McCain(R-AZ)

Education

University of Kansas	B.A.	1995
University of Kansas School of Business	M.B.A.	1999
University of Kansas School of Law	J.D.	1999

Before the bench

Professional career before and outside the federal bench, as recorded by the Federal Judicial Center.

Law clerk, Hon. Melvin Brunetti, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit	1999-2000
Law clerk, Hon. J. Michael Luttig, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit	2000-2001
Private practice, Washington, D.C.	2001-2002
Law clerk, Hon. Clarence Thomas, Supreme Court of the United States	2002-2003
Hugo Black Faculty Fellow, University of Alabama School of Law	2003-2004
University of Minnesota Law School, 2004-2011; Associate professor of law, 2004-2010; Co-director, Institute for Law and Politics, 2007-2010; Associate professor of political science (through affiliation), 2008-2010; Vance K. Opperman Research Scholar, 2009-2010; Adjunct professor	2011
Visiting professor of law, Washington University School of Law	2008
Private practice, Minneapolis, Minnesota	2009-2010
Associate justice, Minnesota Supreme Court	2010-2018
Visiting professor, Vanderbilt University Law School	2012
Adjunct professor, Indiana University Maurer School of Law	2013
Adjunct faculty member, University of Iowa College of Law	2014-

Questions & answers

Who appointed David Ryan Stras?: President Donald J. Trump appointed David Ryan Stras to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in 2018.
Was David Ryan Stras appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?: David Ryan Stras was appointed by President Donald J. Trump, a Republican. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
What was David Ryan Stras's confirmation vote?: The Senate confirmed David Ryan Stras 56–42 on January 30, 2018.
Which court is David Ryan Stras on?: David Ryan Stras is a Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

Sources

Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.

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8 years on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Data as of 2026-09-28. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).