WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer today issued the following statement after the White House nominated U.S. District Judge Daniel Traynor to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Hoeven and Cramer have been working with the White House to advance a qualified nominee to fulfill a vacancy resulting from U.S. Circuit Judge Ralph Erickson assuming senior status, with both senators recommending Traynor for the position. Traynor currently serves on the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota, a position he has held since 2020 after Hoeven and Cramer worked to secure his nomination and advance his confirmation by the U.S. Senate during President Trump’s first term.
“Dan Traynor is well-qualified with a proven track record and a commitment to the rule of law, facts which have been reaffirmed during his time as U.S. District Judge,” said Senators Hoeven and Cramer. “We appreciate President Trump and his team for heeding our recommendation that Dan be nominated for the 8th Circuit. We thank Judge Erickson for his longtime service in the judiciary, and we look forward to advancing Dan’s nomination through the Senate.”
Traynor previously worked in private practice covering areas such as tort law, insurance coverage and defense, business litigation, election law and Indian law. Traynor graduated with distinction from the University of North Dakota School of Law in 1997, after which he served as an extern for U.S. District Judge Patrick Conmy and as a law clerk for North Dakota Supreme Court Chief Justice Gerald VandeWalle.
Traynor also has a wide range of experience supporting the law profession and fulfilling public leadership positions, having served on the:
- Judicial Conference of the United States.
- Judicial Education Advisory Committee Board.
- American Bar Association (ABA) House of Delegates.
- ABA Commission on the American Jury.
- North Dakota State Board of Higher Education.
- State Bar Association of North Dakota.
- Disciplinary Board of the North Dakota Supreme Court.
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