U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
An appeals court: it hears appeals from the federal trial courts in its region. 11 active judges and 7 on senior status (semi-retired, still hearing some cases), per the Federal Judicial Center.
No left–right score is calculated for lower-court judges. The appointing president is shown instead (a common, but rough, signal).
Decision data not available here. CourtListener, the main free source of court opinions, requires an account API key for automated access, so this site does not collect lower-court opinions. You can search CourtListener for this court's opinions yourself (external site).
Who appointed the current judges
Judges
| Judge | Status | Appointed by | Commissioned | Senate confirmation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steven M. Colloton Chief Judge | Active | R George W. Bush | Sep 10, 2003 | Sep 4, 2003 · roll call 94–1 |
| James B. Loken | Active | R George H.W. Bush | Oct 17, 1990 | Oct 12, 1990 · voice vote |
| Lavenski R. Smith | Active | R George W. Bush | Jul 19, 2002 | Jul 15, 2002 · voice vote |
| Raymond W. Gruender | Active | R George W. Bush | Jun 5, 2004 | May 20, 2004 · roll call 97–1 |
| Bobby E. Shepherd | Active | R George W. Bush | Oct 10, 2006 | Jul 20, 2006 · voice vote |
| Jane Louise Kelly | Active | D Barack Obama | Apr 25, 2013 | Apr 24, 2013 · roll call 96–0 |
| Leonard Steven Grasz | Active | R Donald J. Trump | Jan 3, 2018 | Dec 12, 2017 · roll call 50–48 |
| David Ryan Stras | Active | R Donald J. Trump | Jan 31, 2018 | Jan 30, 2018 · roll call 56–42 |
| Jonathan Allen Kobes | Active | R Donald J. Trump | Dec 12, 2018 | Dec 11, 2018 · roll call 51–50 |
| Justin Daniel Smith | Active | R Donald J. Trump | Jun 18, 2026 | Jun 15, 2026 · roll call 48–43 (Voteview) |
| Daniel Mack Traynor | Active | R Donald J. Trump | Jul 24, 2026 | Jul 23, 2026 · roll call 48–47 (Voteview) |
| Pasco Middleton Bowman, II | Senior status since Aug 1, 2003 | R Ronald Reagan | Jul 19, 1983 | Jul 18, 1983 · voice vote |
| Roger Leland Wollman | Senior status since Dec 14, 2018 | R Ronald Reagan | Jul 22, 1985 | Jul 19, 1985 · voice vote |
| David Rasmussen Hansen | Senior status since Apr 1, 2003 | R George H.W. Bush | Nov 18, 1991 | Nov 15, 1991 · voice vote |
| Morris Sheppard Arnold | Senior status since Oct 9, 2006 | R George H.W. Bush | May 26, 1992 | May 21, 1992 · voice vote |
| Michael Joseph Melloy | Senior status since Feb 1, 2013 | R George W. Bush | Feb 14, 2002 | Feb 11, 2002 · roll call 91–0 |
| William Duane Benton | Senior status since Jun 21, 2026 | R George W. Bush | Jul 2, 2004 | Jun 24, 2004 · voice vote |
| Ralph R. Erickson | Senior status since Jul 28, 2026 | R Donald J. Trump | Oct 12, 2017 | Sep 28, 2017 · roll call 95–1 |
Source: Federal Judicial Center, Biographical Directory of Article III Federal Judges. “Commissioned” is the date the appointment took effect. Confirmation votes are as listed by the FJC (ayes–nays); recent roll calls link to Voteview where found.