Judges elevated from a district court to a circuit court
Which federal judges were elevated from a district court to a circuit court?
Daniel Mack Traynor is the most recent federal judge elevated from a district court to a court of appeals, in 2026 (District of North Dakota → Eighth Circuit · 6 years on the district bench first).
Judges who were first commissioned to a U.S. district court and later to a U.S. court of appeals, most recently elevated first, with the years they spent on the district bench first.
| # | Name | Detail | Elevated |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniel Mack Traynor | District of North Dakota → Eighth Circuit · 6 years on the district bench first | 2026 |
| 2 | Nancy Lee Maldonado | Northern District of Illinois → Seventh Circuit · 1 year on the district bench first | 2024 |
| 3 | Ana Isabel de Alba | Eastern District of California → Ninth Circuit · 1 year on the district bench first | 2023 |
| 4 | Julianna Michelle Childs | District of South Carolina → District of Columbia Circuit · 11 years on the district bench first | 2022 |
| 5 | Stephanie Dawkins Davis | Eastern District of Michigan → Sixth Circuit · 2 years on the district bench first | 2022 |
| 6 | John Zihun Lee | Northern District of Illinois → Seventh Circuit · 10 years on the district bench first | 2022 |
| 7 | Salvador Mendoza Jr. | Eastern District of Washington → Ninth Circuit · 8 years on the district bench first | 2022 |
| 8 | Sarah Ann Leilani Merriam | District of Connecticut → Second Circuit · 0 years on the district bench first | 2022 |
| 9 | Alison Julie Nathan | Southern District of New York → Second Circuit · 10 years on the district bench first | 2022 |
| 10 | Florence Y. Pan | District of Columbia → District of Columbia Circuit · 1 year on the district bench first | 2022 |
| 11 | Leonard Philip Stark | District of Delaware → Federal Circuit · 11 years on the district bench first | 2022 |
| 12 | Gustavo Antonio Gelpí Jr. | District of Puerto Rico → First Circuit · 15 years on the district bench first | 2021 |
| 13 | Ketanji Brown Jackson | District of Columbia → District of Columbia Circuit · 8 years on the district bench first | 2021 |
| 14 | Lucy Haeran Koh | Northern District of California → Ninth Circuit · 11 years on the district bench first | 2021 |
| 15 | Andrew Lynn Brasher | Middle District of Alabama → Eleventh Circuit · 1 year on the district bench first | 2020 |
| 16 | Justin Reed Walker | Western District of Kentucky → District of Columbia Circuit · 0 years on the district bench first | 2020 |
| 17 | Bridget Shelton Bade | District of Arizona → Ninth Circuit · 7 years on the district bench first | 2019 |
| 18 | Joseph Frank Bianco | Eastern District of New York → Second Circuit · 13 years on the district bench first | 2019 |
| 19 | Peter Joseph Phipps | Western District of Pennsylvania → Third Circuit · 0 years on the district bench first | 2019 |
| 20 | Joel McElroy Carson III | District of New Mexico → Tenth Circuit · 3 years on the district bench first | 2018 |
| 21 | Kurt Damian Engelhardt | Eastern District of Louisiana → Fifth Circuit · 16 years on the district bench first | 2018 |
| 22 | A. Marvin Quattlebaum Jr. | District of South Carolina → Fourth Circuit · 0 years on the district bench first | 2018 |
| 23 | Amy Joan St. Eve | Northern District of Illinois → Seventh Circuit · 15 years on the district bench first | 2018 |
| 24 | Richard Joseph Sullivan | Southern District of New York → Second Circuit · 11 years on the district bench first | 2018 |
| 25 | Ralph R. Erickson | District of North Dakota → Eighth Circuit · 14 years on the district bench first | 2017 |
Questions
- Which federal judges were elevated from a district court to a circuit court?
- Daniel Mack Traynor is the most recent federal judge elevated from a district court to a court of appeals, in 2026 (District of North Dakota → Eighth Circuit · 6 years on the district bench first).
- What are the top five?
- Daniel Mack Traynor (2026), Nancy Lee Maldonado (2024), Ana Isabel de Alba (2023), Julianna Michelle Childs (2022) and Stephanie Dawkins Davis (2022).
- How is this list ranked?
- Judges who were first commissioned to a U.S. district court and later to a U.S. court of appeals, most recently elevated first, with the years they spent on the district bench first.
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Computed from the FJC Biographical Directory. Data last verified 2026-09-21. Verify against the primary source before relying.