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devilslakejournal.com: https://www.devilslakejournal.com/news/12188/trump-nominates-north-dakota-federal-judge-for-appeals-court-vacancy/

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GDELT news · original
Published
Friday, May 22, 2026

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Senate, Traynor would replace 8th Circuit Judge Ralph Erickson, who is chambered in Fargo. Erickson last month annoounced his intent to retire from active service on the court and become a senior judge. Traynor was recommended for the position by Republican U.S. Sens. John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer, according to a joint announcement from the senators issued Monday night.

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Trump nominates North Dakota federal judge for appeals court vacancy – Devil's Lake Daily Journal SUBSCRIBE Now or RENEW Account Login Register Facebook X News Local Top Stories Obituaries Opinion Sports Features Entertainment Contact Us Devils Lake Rack List Trump nominates North Dakota federal judge for appeals court vacancy May 19, 2026 — By Mary Steurer, Dakota Monitor in News , Top Stories US District Court Judge Dan Traynor speaks at the State Bar Association of North Dakota’s annual meeting at the Bismarck Event Center on June 13, 2025. Photo by Mary Steurer/North Dakota Monitor President Donald Trump has nominated North Dakota U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Traynor to the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. If his nomination is confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Traynor would replace 8th Circuit Judge Ralph Erickson, who is chambered in Fargo. Erickson last month annoounced his intent to retire from active service on the court and become a senior judge. Traynor was recommended for the position by Republican U.S. Sens. John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer, according to a joint announcement from the senators issued Monday night. “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,” Hoeven and Cramer said in the announcement. Traynor was nominated by Trump to the district court judgeship in 2020, taking the spot left by Judge Daniel Hovland, who assumed senior status. At the time of his first nomination, the American Bar Association rated Traynor “well qualified” for the federal bench. While a district court judge, Traynor has issued several rulings finding federal regulations unlawful, including a 2025 order that found a group of Catholic employers don’t have to abide by Biden-era rules implementing federal laws meant to protect workers’ access to abortion and fertility treatment, and to shield LGBTQ employees from discrimination. He was also in the minority of federal judges to rule in favor of the Trump administration’s novel practice of indefinitely holding without bond most noncitizens who are detained inside the U.S. after entering the country unlawfully. The 8th Circuit in a 2-1 decision recently came to a similar conclusion. Erickson was the dissenting judge on that panel. Traynor in 2025 ordered the federal government to pay North Dakota $28 million for damages he found the state incurred during the Dakota Access Pipeline protests. He presided over an 18-day trial in the case in 2024. The state and federal government recently asked Traynor to axe the judgment so the parties can settle. Last year, Traynor criticized the American Bar Association for what he characterized as left-leaning partisanship. Before becoming a judge, Traynor worked as a private attorney in Devils Lake. Erickson served as a federal district court judge in North Dakota until 2017, when Trump appointed him to

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