Ralph Robert Erickson (born April 28, 1959) is an American lawyer who serves as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
Ralph R. Erickson
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals
Chief Judge — U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota
Born 1959 in Thief River Falls, MN
FJC ID: 2983
Career output and lasting influence
Opinions attributed per year · peak 8/year
Later decisions citing those opinions, per year · peak 20/year
North Dakota District Court · 2003–2017Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals · 2017–
Both charts share the same year axis. Opinion counts include only opinions in our corpus attributed to this judge so far — a year at zero can mean an attribution gap, not judicial silence. Influence typically outlasts the career: citations keep climbing after the last opinion.
- Gender
- Male
- Race
- White
Prior employment
Board member · 2024–present
Judge · 1995–2003- Private practice, West Fargo, North Dakota1984–1994
- Cass County [North Dakota] CourtMagistrate judge · 1993–1994
- Traill, Steele, Nelson, and Griggs Counties [North Dakota] CourtJudge · 1994
Appointments
2017–present · Appointed by Donald J. Trump (Republican)- 2003–2017 · Appointed by George W. Bush (Republican)Term ended: Appointment to Another Judicial Position
Education
- University of North Dakota School of LawJ.D. · 1984
- Jamestown CollegeB.A. · 1980