U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
About the Court
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Current United States federal appellate court
| United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit |
|---|
| (8th Cir.) |
 |
 |
| Location |
| Appeals from |
| Established |
| Judges |
| Circuit Justice |
| Chief Judge |
| www.ca8.uscourts.gov |
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (in case citations, 8th Cir.) is a United States federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the following United States district courts:
- Eastern District of Arkansas
- Western District of Arkansas
- Northern District of Iowa
- Southern District of Iowa
- District of Minnesota
- Eastern District of Missouri
- Western District of Missouri
- District of Nebraska
- District of North Dakota
- District of South Dakota
Created by the [25th United States Congress](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/25th_Unite
…
History
List of former judges
[ edit]
| # | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Henry Clay Caldwell | AR | 1832–1915 | 1891–1903 | — | — | B. Harrison / Operation of law[3] | retirement |
| 2 | Walter Henry Sanborn | MN | 1845–1928 | 1892–1928 | — | — | B. Harrison | death |
| 3 | Amos Madden Thayer | MO | 1841–1905 | 1894–1905 | — | — | Cleveland | death |
| 4 | Willis Van Devanter | WY | 1859–1941 | 1903–1910 | — | — | T. Roosevelt | elevation |
| 5 | William Cather Hook | KS | 1857–1921 | 1903–1921 | — | — | T. Roosevelt | death |
| 6 | Elmer Bragg Adams | MO | 1842–1916 | 1905[4]–1916 | — | — | T. Roosevelt | death |
| 7 | John Emmett Carland | SD | 1853–1922 | 1911–1922 | — | — | [5] | death |
| 8 | Walter I. Smith | IA | 1862–1922 | 1911–1922 | — | — | Taft | death |
| 9 | Kimbrough Stone | MO | 1875–1958 | 1916–1947 | — | 1947–1958 | Wilson | death |
| 10 | Robert E. Lewis | CO | 1857–1941 | 1921–1929 | — | — | Harding | reassignment |
| 11 | William Squire Kenyon | IA | 1869–1933 | 1922–1933 | — | — | Harding | death |
| 12 | Wilbur F. Booth | MN | 1861–1944 | 1925–1932 | — | 1932–1944 | Coolidge | death |
| 13 | Arba Van Valkenburgh | MO | 1862–1944 | 1925–1933 | — | 1933–1944 | Coolidge | death |
| 14 | John Hazelton Cotteral | OK | 1864–1933 | 1928–1929 | — | — | Coolidge | reassignment |
| 15 | Archibald K. Gardner | SD | 1867–1962 | 1929–1960 | 1948–1959 | 1960–1962 |
…
Judges
Current composition of the court
[ edit]
As of June 15, 2026[update]:
| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Appointed by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active | Chief | Senior | ||||
| --- | --- | --- | ||||
| 55 | Chief Judge | Steven Colloton | Des Moines, IA | 1963 | 2003–present | 2024–present |
| 46 | Circuit Judge | James B. Loken | Minneapolis, MN | 1940 | 1990–present | 2003–2010 |
| 54 | Circuit Judge | Lavenski Smith | Little Rock, AR | 1958 | 2002–present | 2017–2024 |
| 56 | Circuit Judge | Raymond Gruender | Saint Louis, MO | 1963 | 2004–present | — |
| 58 | Circuit Judge | Bobby Shepherd | El Dorado, AR | 1951 | 2006–present | — |
| 59 | Circuit Judge | Jane L. Kelly | Cedar Rapids, IA | 1964 | 2013–present | — |
| 60 | Circuit Judge | Ralph R. Erickson | Fargo, ND | 1959 | 2017–present | — |
| 61 | Circuit Judge | L. Steven Grasz | Omaha, NE | 1961 | 2018–present | — |
| 62 | Circuit Judge | David Stras | Minneapolis, MN | 1974 | 2018–present | — |
| 63 | Circuit Judge | Jonathan A. Kobes | Sioux Falls, SD | 1974 | 2018–present | — |
| 64 | Circuit Judge | Justin D. Smith | Kansas City, MO | 1985 | beg. 2026 | — |
| 42 | Senior Judge | Pasco Bowman II | inactive | 1933 | 1983–2003 | 1998–1999 |
| 43 | Senior Judge | Roger Leland Wollman | inactive | 1934 | 1985–2018 | 1999–2002 |
| 47 | Senior Judge | David R. Hansen | inactive | 1938 | 1991–2003 | 2002–2003 |
| 48 | Senior Judge | Morris S. Arnold | Little Rock, AR | 1941 | 1992–2006 | — |
…
Court overview, history, and judge data sourced from Wikipedia (CC-BY-SA 3.0).
Notable Opinions (2)
530 F.3d 724 (8th Cir. 2008)
Upheld South Dakota's informed consent law requiring doctors to advise women seeking abortions that they would be terminating the life of a 'whole, separate, unique, living human being.' The en banc court held this was a truthful, non-misleading statement of biological fact, not compelled ideological speech.
697 F.3d 678 (8th Cir. 2012)
Struck down a Missouri funeral protest buffer zone ordinance on First Amendment grounds, finding the 300-foot buffer zone unconstitutional as applied to Westboro Baptist Church protests at military funerals. Balanced free speech rights against interests in protecting funeral attendees from unwanted picketing.
Jurisdiction
The Eighth Circuit covers the following jurisdictions:
Court Information
- Seat
- St. Louis, Missouri
- Authorized Judgeships
- 11
- Circuit Number
- 8th