Judge David Stras
Eighth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals
David Ryan Stras was born in July 1974, in Wichita, Kansas. He earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas and received his Juris Doctor from the University of Kansas School of Law and School of Business. He clerked at the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals and later at the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals before entering private practice in Washington, D.C. He later clerked for Justice Clarence Thomas at the U.S. Supreme Court.
Stras was a fellow at the University of Alabama School of Law. He was a professor of law at the University of Minnesota Law School. Minnesota’s governor appointed him to a seat on the Minnesota Supreme Court, and he was later elected to a six-year term.
President Donald Trump nominated Stras to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit but his nomination expired before it was acted upon. President Trump renominated him, he was confirmed by the Senate and received his judicial commission in January 2018.
He is married to Heather, and they have two children. His paternal grandparents were Holocaust survivors.
In the News…
The Eighth Circuit stated that litigation brought under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act is only allowed when brought by the U.S. attorney general. Section 2 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race.
In his ruling, Appeals Court Judge David Stras said the NAACP chapter in Arkansas did not have standing to bring a lawsuit under the Voting Rights Act. The group claimed that Black voters were disenfranchised by the redrawing of a state congressional map.
“The Voting Rights Act lists only one plaintiff… the Attorney General,” Judge Stras wrote.
Contact this Leader…
Did you pray for Judge Stras today? You can let him know at:
The Honorable David Stras
Eighth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals
Warren E. Burger Federal Building
316 Robert Street N
St Paul, MN 55101
