Steven Colloton
2003 - Present
21
Steven M. Colloton is the chief judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit. He joined the court in 2003 after being nominated by former President George W. Bush to a seat vacated by David Hansen. Prior to his appointment, Colloton was a U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Iowa from 2001 to 2003. Colloton became chief judge of the court in 2024.[1]
Colloton was included on President Donald Trump’s (R) June 2018 list of 25 potential Supreme Court nominees to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy on the court. Trump first released such a list during his 2016 presidential campaign and stated, “This list is definitive and I will choose only from it in picking future Justices of the United States Supreme Court.”[2][3]
Education
Born in Iowa City, Iowa, Colloton received his bachelor's degree from Princeton University in 1985 and his J.D. from Yale Law School in 1988.[1]
Professional career
- 2003 - Present: Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit
- 2024- Present: Chief judge
- 2001-2003: U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa
- 2000: Adjunct lecturer, University of Iowa College of Law
- 1999-2001: Private practice, Iowa
- 1995-1996: Associate independent counsel, Office of Independent Counsel Kenneth W. Starr
- 1991-1999: Assistant U.S. attorney, Northern District of Iowa
- 1990-1991: Special assistant to the assistant attorney general, Office of Legal Counsel, U.S. Department of Justice
- 1989-1990: Law clerk, Hon. William H. Rehnquist, Supreme Court of the United States
- 1988-1989: Law clerk, Hon. Laurence Silberman, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit[1]
Judicial career
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals
 |
| Nominee Information |
| Name: Steven M. Colloton |
| Court: United States Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 204 days after nomination. |
 Nominated: February 12, 2003
|
| ABA Rating: Substantial Majority Qualified, Minority Well Qualified, Minority Not Qualified
|
| Questionnaire: |
| Hearing: July 22, 2003
|
| Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript |
| QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| Reported: July 31, 2003
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| Confirmed: September 4, 2003
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| Vote: 94-1
|
Colloton was nominated to the United States Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit by former President George W. Bush on February 12, 2003, to a seat vacated by David R. Hansen. The American Bar Association rated Colloton Substantial Majority Qualified, Minority Well Qualified, Minority Not Qualified for the nomination.[4] Hearings on Colloton's nomination were held before the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary on July 22, 2003, and his nomination was reported U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) on July 31, 2003. Colloton was confirmed on a recorded 94-1 vote of the U.S. Senate on September 4, 2003, and he received his commission on September 10, 2003.[1][5] Colloton became chief judge of the court in 2024.[1]
Possible Donald Trump nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court
2018
Colloton was listed by President Donald Trump (R) as a potential Supreme Court nominee to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy. Kennedy announced he would retire from the court effective July 31, 2018.[6] Trump ultimately chose Brett Kavanaugh as the nominee. Click here to learn more.
2017
On November 17, 2017, Colloton was included in a third list of individuals from which President Donald Trump would choose to fill vacancies on the U.S. Supreme Court.
A White House statement announcing the nominees stated,[7]
| “ |
One year ago, President Donald J. Trump was elected to restore the rule of law and to Make the Judiciary Great Again. Following the successful confirmation of Justice Neil M. Gorsuch to the Supreme Court of the United States and the nomination of more than seventy Federal judges—including five individuals from his Supreme Court list—President Trump today announced that he is refreshing his Supreme Court list with five additional judges. President Trump will choose a nominee for a future Supreme Court vacancy, should one arise, from this updated list of 25 individuals. The President remains deeply committed to identifying and selecting outstanding jurists in the mold of Justice Gorsuch. These additions, like those on the original list released more than a year ago, were selected with input from respected conservative leaders.[8] |
” |
Noteworthy cases
Eighth Circuit blocks discovery attempt in lethal injection challenge (2014)
The Eighth Circuit ruled that Missouri inmates have no procedural rights of discovery for the purpose of learning more about the pharmacy used by the state to procure its execution drugs unless they can show there is a more humane method of execution. The inmates argued that the drug combination used by the state violated the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment, as the combination could cause an "unconstitutionally excruciating death."[9] The state, through its Department of Corrections, argued that revealing the name of the pharmacy it used could cause the state to have trouble obtaining the drugs it needs to carry out executions.
Judge Steven Colloton wrote the opinion for the en banc court. Judge Colloton cited Baze v. Rees, a U.S. Supreme Court case that held that capital punishment does not violate an individual’s constitutional rights and is a legal sentence, in upholding that was logical for a state to have the means to effectuate that sentence. Chief Judge William Rily agreed with the majority, along with Judges Roger Wollman, James Loken, Lavenski Smith, Raymond Gruender, and Bobby Shepherd. Judges Diana Murphy, Jane Kelly, and Kermit Bye dissented. The dissenters stated that it was absurd to require that death-row inmates suggest execution alternatives before allowing discovery.
The Missouri inmates challenged the use of the lethal injection drugs only after the state could no longer procure one of the three standard drugs used in a drug cocktail in executions, and the state began to use just two drugs. The inmates' lawyers wanted to gather more information about the pharmacy used to acquire drugs for execution, the pharmacists, and the state’s own execution team.
Articles:
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Federal Judicial Center, "Steven M. Colloton," accessed March 19, 2024
- ↑ CBS News, "Trump says Justice Kennedy's replacement will come from list of 25," June 27, 2018
- ↑ FindLaw, "Trump Revises His Supreme Court Picks," September 26, 2016
- ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III judicial nominees, 108th Congress," accessed July 26, 2016
- ↑ United States Congress, "PN 343 - Steven M. Colloton - The Judiciary," accessed July 26, 2016
- ↑ CBS News, "Trump says Justice Kennedy's replacement will come from list of 25," June 27, 2018
- ↑ The White House, "President Donald J. Trump Announces Five Additions to Supreme Court List," November 17, 2017
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ St. Louis Today, “Federal appeals decision deals blow to Missouri death row inmates,” January 29, 2014
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by - |
United States Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit 2003-Present |
Succeeded by - |
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| 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 | ||
