Jeffrey Marc Bryan (born April 16, 1976)[2] is an American lawyer from Minnesota who has served as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota since 2023. He previously served as a judge of the Minnesota Court of Appeals from 2019 to 2023.

Jeffrey Bryan
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota
Assumed office
November 30, 2023
Appointed byJoe Biden
Preceded byJohn R. Tunheim
Judge of the Minnesota Court of Appeals
In office
November 25, 2019 – November 30, 2023
Appointed byTim Walz
Preceded byHeidi Schellhas
Succeeded byvacant
Judge of the Second Judicial District of Minnesota
In office
August 20, 2013 – November 25, 2019
Appointed byMark Dayton
Preceded byJ. Thomas Mott
Succeeded byDavid Brown
Personal details
Born
Jeffrey Marc Bryan[1]

(1976-04-16) April 16, 1976 (age 47)
Fayetteville, North Carolina, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Texas at Austin (BA)
Yale University (JD)

Early life and education edit

Bryan was born on April 16, 1976, in Fayetteville, North Carolina.[3][2] His mother's family is of Mexican descent. His mother was a high school English teacher and inspired Bryan to pursue a career in law after she read him the book To Kill a Mockingbird.[4] Bryan earned his Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, from the University of Texas at Austin in 1998 and his Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 2002.[5]

Career edit

Bryan was a law clerk for Judge Paul A. Magnuson of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota from 2002 to 2003. He was a civil litigation attorney for Robins Kaplan LLP in Minneapolis from 2003 to 2007, where he developed a litigation practice emphasizing antitrust law and intellectual property disputes. From 2007 to 2013, he served as an assistant United States attorney for the United States Attorney's Office from 2007 to 2013, where he prosecuted financial fraud and drug-trafficking conspiracies.[5]

State district court edit

On July 11, 2013, he was appointed as a trial court judge in the Ramsey County District Court by Governor Mark Dayton to fill the vacancy left by the retirement of J. Thomas Mott.[6] He was subsequently elected in 2014. He assumed office on August 20, 2013.[7] He co-chaired the Ramsey County Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative during his time on the trial court. In 2018 and 2020, Bryan was among four finalists for vacancies on the Minnesota Supreme Court.[4]

Minnesota Court of Appeals edit

On October 9, 2019, Governor Tim Walz announced the appointment of Bryan to be a judge of the Minnesota Court of Appeals.[8] He filled the vacancy left by Heidi Schellhas. He serves in an at-large capacity.[5] He assumed office on November 25, 2019.[7]

Federal judicial service edit

On June 23, 2023, Bryan was mentioned as a potential nominee being vetted by the FBI for a vacancy on the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota.[4] On July 27, 2023, President Joe Biden nominated Bryan to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota.[9] President Biden nominated Bryan to the seat being vacated by Judge John R. Tunheim, who announced his intent to assume senior status upon confirmation of a successor.[10] On September 6, 2023, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[11] On September 28, 2023, his nomination was reported out of committee by a 13–8 vote.[12] On November 27, 2023, the United States Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 47–42 vote.[13] On November 28, 2023, his nomination was confirmed by a 49–46 vote.[14] He received his judicial commission on November 30, 2023.[15] He was sworn in on December 1, 2023.[16] He became the first Latino federal judge in Minnesota.[4]

Personal life edit

Bryan married Liz Kramer on November 16, 2002, after meeting each other at Yale University.[17] As of 2023, Kramer served as Solicitor General in Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison's office. Kramer is co-founder of the appeals self-help clinic at the Minnesota Judicial Center and in 2016 was named Minnesota Lawyer's Attorney of the Year.[4]

As of 2013, Bryan was a member of the Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association. He previously served on the Macalester-Groveland Community Council and chaired the Minnesota Minority Recruiting Conference Committee for Twin Cities Diversity in Practice.[6] He also serves on the Minnesota Task Force on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, the Minnesota Supreme Court Rules of Evidence Advisory Committee, and on the board of various community organizations, including the Minnesota Urban Debate League, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity.[5]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Jeffrey Marc Bryan Profile | Minneapolis, MN Lawyer | Martindale.com". www.martindale.com. Archived from the original on 2023-07-27. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  2. ^ a b "Judge Jeffrey Bryan – Nominee to the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota". Vetting Room. 15 August 2023. Archived from the original on August 15, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  3. ^ "Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 6, 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e Furst, Randy (June 23, 2023). "Judge Jeffrey Bryan is expected to become the first Latino on the federal bench in Minnesota". Archived from the original on June 30, 2023. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d "Governor Walz Appoints the Honorable Jeffrey Bryan and Susan Segal to Fill Vacancies on the Minnesota Court of Appeals" (Press release). Office of the Governor. October 9, 2019. Archived from the original on May 17, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Jeffrey M. Bryan Appointed to Fill Second Judicial District Vacancy" (Press release). July 11, 2013. Archived from the original on December 17, 2018. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  7. ^ a b "Jeffrey M Bryan". mn.gov. Archived from the original on 2023-06-25. Retrieved 2023-06-25.
  8. ^ "Minneapolis city attorney, district judge appointed to fill vacancies on Minnesota Court of Appeals". KSTP. October 8, 2019. Archived from the original on April 21, 2020. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  9. ^ "President Biden Names Thirty-Sixth Round of Judicial Nominees" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. July 27, 2023. Archived from the original on July 27, 2023. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  10. ^ "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. July 27, 2023. Archived from the original on July 27, 2023. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  11. ^ "Nominations". Washington, D.C.: United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. September 5, 2023. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  12. ^ "Results of Executive Business Meeting – September 28, 2023" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 28, 2023. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  13. ^ "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Jeffrey M. Bryan to be United States District Judge for the District of Minnesota)". United States Senate. November 27, 2023. Archived from the original on November 28, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  14. ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Jeffrey M. Bryan, of Minnesota, to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Minnesota)". United States Senate. November 28, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  15. ^ Jeffrey Bryan at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  16. ^ "Appointment of Jeffrey M. Bryan as District Judge" (PDF). mnd.uscourts.gov (Press release). December 1, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  17. ^ "WEDDINGS/CELEBRATIONS; Elizabeth Kramer, Jeffrey Bryan". The New York Times. November 17, 2002. Archived from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.

External links edit

Legal offices
Preceded by
Heidi Schellhas
Judge of the Minnesota Court of Appeals
2019–2023
Vacant
Preceded by Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota
2023–present
Incumbent