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Eric Melgren
2025 - Present
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Eric Melgren (b.1956) is a federal judge on senior status with the United States District Court for the District of Kansas. He joined the court in 2008 after an appointment by President George W. Bush (R). From 2021 to 2025, Melgren served as chief judge of the court. Prior to the appointment, Melgren was a U.S. attorney for the District of Kansas.[1]
Melgren assumed senior status on September 1, 2025.[2]
Biography
Early life and education
Melgren received his undergraduate degree from Wichita State University in 1979. He earned his J.D. from Washburn University School of Law in 1985.[1]
Professional career
- 2002-2008: U.S. attorney, District of Kansas
- 1987-2002: Attorney in private practice, Wichita, Kansas
- 1985-1987: Law clerk, Hon. Frank G. Theis, U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas[1]
Judicial career
District of Kansas
Melgren was nominated to the District of Kansas by President George W. Bush on July 23, 2008, to a seat vacated by Monti Belot. Melgren was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on September 26, 2008, and received commission on October 6, 2008.[1] From 2021 to 2025, Melgren served as chief judge of the court. He assumed senior status on September 1, 2025.[2]
Noteworthy cases
Judge upholds voter laws requiring proof of citizenship (2014)
The United States Supreme Court has stated that Congress holds the keys to deciding what the requirements are to vote in national elections. States were left with the ability to craft their own election rules for state and local elections. The federal government only requires an avowal of citizenship to be registered to vote; no offer of proof is necessary. So when the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) denied requests from Arizona and Kansas to add language on the national voter registration form, which the states use for their own registrations, indicating individuals must show proof of citizenship to be registered to vote in state races, a challenge ensued in federal court.
Judge Eric Melgren held on March 19, 2014, that the EAC overstepped its bounds of authority in denying the states’ requests. His opinion indicated that there was no federal law pre-empting states from requiring proof of citizenship for their own races. Proponents of laws requiring proof of citizenship to vote or register to vote say that voter fraud is a serious issue and is often hard to detect. Opponents of these laws argue that requiring proof often puts minorities and the poor at a disadvantage because they often lack access to certain documents that prove citizenship; therefore, these laws stifle diverse representation at the polls.
With this ruling, the EAC must now help the states get the necessary language on voter registration forms used in those states.
Articles:
See also
External links
Footnotes
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
United States District Court for the District of Kansas 2008-2025 |
Succeeded by - |
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 |
Armijo • Bates • Beistline • Blackburn • Bowdre • Bunning • Bury • Caldwell • Camp • Cassell • Cebull • Clement • Clifton • Crane • Eagan • Engelhardt • Friot • Gibbons • Granade • Gregory • Gritzner • Haddon • Hartz • Heaton • Hicks • Howard • Johnson • Jorgenson • Krieger • Land • Leon • Mahan • Martinez • Martone • McConnell • Melloy • Mills • O'Brien • Parker • Payne • Prost • Reeves • Riley • Robinson • Rogers • Royal • Shedd • B. Smith • L. Smith • Walton • Wooten • Zainey | ||
| 2002 |
Africk • Anderson • Autrey • Baylson • Cercone • Chesler • Clark • Collyer • Conner • Conti • Corrigan • Davis • Davis • Dorr • England • Ericksen • Fuller • Gardner • Godbey • Griesbach • Hanen • Hovland • Hudson • Jones • Jordan • Kinkeade • Klausner • Kugler • Leighton • Linares • Moses • Marra • Martinez • Martini • Mays • McVerry • Phillips • Raggi • Reade • Rose • Rufe • Savage • Schwab • Smith • St. Eve • Walter • White • Wolfson | ||
| 2003 |
Adams • Altonaga • Bea • Benitez • Bennett • Boyle • Brack • Breen • Browning • Burns • Bybee • Callahan • Campbell • Cardone • Carney • Castel • Chertoff • Cohn • Colloton • Conrad • Coogler • Cook • Cooke • Crone • Der-Yeghiayan • Drell • Duffey • Duncan • Erickson • Feuerstein • Figa • Filip • Fischer • Fisher • Flanagan • Floyd • Frost • Gibson • Greer • Gruender • Guirola • Hall • Hardiman • Hayes • Herrera • Hicks • Holmes • Holwell • Hopkins • Houston • Irizarry • Jones • Junell • Karas • Kravitz • Martinez • McKnight • Minaldi • Montalvo • Mosman • Otero • Pickering • Prado • Pratter • Proctor • Quarles • Robart • Roberts • Robinson • Rodgers • Rodriguez • Sabraw • Sanchez • Saylor • Selna • Sharpe • Simon • Springmann • Stanceu • Steele • Stengel • Suko • Sutton • Sykes • Titus • Townes • Tymkovich • Van Antwerpen • Varlan • Wake • Wesley • White • Woodcock • Yeakel | ||
| 2004 |
Alvarez • Benton • Boyko • Covington • Diamond • Harwell • Kelley • Schiavelli • Schneider • Starrett • Watson | ||
| 2005 |
Alito • Barrett • Batten • Bianco • Brown • Burgess • Conrad • Cox • Crotty • Delgado-Colon • Dever • DuBose • Griffin • Griffith • Johnston • Kendall • Larson • Ludington • Mattice • McKeague • Neilson • Owen • Pryor • Roberts • Sandoval • Schiltz • Seabright • Smoak • Van Tatenhove • Vitaliano • Watkins • Zouhary | ||
| 2006 |
Besosa • Bumb • Chagares • Cogan • Gelpi • Golden • Gordon • Gorsuch • Guilford • Hillman • Holmes • Ikuta • D. Jordan • K. Jordan • Kavanaugh • Miller • Moore • Shepherd • Sheridan • Smith • Whitney • Wigenton | ||
| 2007 |
Anderson • Aycock • Bailey • Bryant • Davis • DeGiusti • Dow • Elrod • Fairbank • Fischer • Frizzell • Gutierrez • Hall • Hardiman • Haynes • Howard • Jarvey • Jones • Jonker • Kapala • Kays • Laplante • Limbaugh • Lioi • Livingston • Maloney • Mauskopf • Mendez • Miller • Neff • O'Connor • O'Grady • O'Neill • Osteen • Ozerden • Reidinger • Sammartino • Schroeder • Settle • Smith • Snow • Southwick • Suddaby • Sullivan • Thapar • Tinder • Van Bokkelen • Wood • Wright • Wu | ||
| 2008 |
Agee • Anello • Arguello • Brimmer • Gardephe • Goldberg • Jones • Kethledge • Lawrence • Matsumoto • Melgren • Murphy • Scriven • Seibel • Slomsky • Trenga • Waddoups • White | ||
