Judge Ralph Erickson
Eighth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals
Ralph Robert Erickson was born in April 1959 in Thief River Falls, Minnesota. He earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Jamestown and received his Juris Doctor from the University of North Dakota School of Law.
Erickson entered the private practice of law for ten years before he became a magistrate judge for the Cass County Court. He then served as a county judge, followed by a state district judge for North Dakota.
President George W. Bush nominated Erickson to the North Dakota U.S. District Court. He was confirmed by the Senate and received his commission in March 2003. He served as chief judge from 2009 to 2016.
President Donald Trump nominated Erickson to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in June 2017. He was confirmed by the Senate in September and received his judicial commission in October 2017. He chairs the U.S. Judicial Conference Committee on Codes of Conduct. He announced he will be taking senior status.
In the News…
The Eighth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals determined that Iowa may enforce a state law that bans materials related to gender identity and sexual orientation from educational curriculum. The measure also requires parents or guardians to be notified when students express gender dysphoria. The appellate court struck down the injunction placed by a federal judge against provisions of the 2023 law.
Judge Erickson wrote that lower courts used “flawed analysis” of the law, taking an “expansive view of the law’s scope.”
The decision stated, “Throughout the litigation, the State has insisted that this statute applies only to mandatory parts of the educational curriculum. Reading the plain language, we cannot say the State’s assertion is wrong.”
“The Voting Rights Act lists only one plaintiff… the Attorney General,” Judge Stras wrote.
Contact this Leader…
Did you pray for Judge Erickson today? You can let him know at:
The Honorable Ralph Erickson
Eighth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals
Warren E. Burger Federal Building
316 Robert Street N
St Paul, MN 55101
