Daniel Mack Traynor
How Judge Traynor rules, drawn from 15 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
Judge Traynor left this court for the U.S. Supreme Court. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled here.
About Judge Traynor
Daniel Mack Traynor was a judge of the United States District Court for the District of North Dakota. Appointed by President Donald J. Trump, Judge Traynor received a commission on January 13, 2020. Judge Traynor left the court on July 28, 2026 on appointment to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“the United States' Motion for Summary Judgment is DENIED.”
“At this stage, it is simply too late to certify a question of law this Court has already resolved. ... Accordingly, the United States' Motion for Certified Question is DENIED.”
“North Dakota's Motion for Partial Summary Judgment is GRANTED insofar as the undisputed evidence shows the Corps failed to follow its mandatory permitting procedures. ... In this regard, North Dakota's Motion for Partial Summary Judgment is DENIED.”
“Because the issues raised by the Parties can be decided on the record and the relevant caselaw, the Court concludes a hearing on the matter is unnecessary. Accordingly, North Dakota's Motion for Hearing is DENIED.”
“Royalty's Motion for Summary Judgment is GRANTED”
“Grayson Mill's Motion for Summary Judgment is GRANTED, in part, and DENIED, in part”
“MBI's Motion for Summary Judgment is DENIED.”
“The State of North Dakota’s Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Jurisdiction is GRANTED. This case is, therefore, DISMISSED.”
“the Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss Claim One are GRANTED for the same reasons articulated in Case No. 1:18-cv-236, Doc. No. 290.”
“the Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss are GRANTED. The Amended Complaint is DISMISSED with prejudice.”
“Because this Order dismisses the Amended Complaint with prejudice, the City and County Defendants’ Motion to Strike is MOOT.”
“Baker’s Motion to Vacate, Set Aside, or Correct Sentence pursuant to 28 U.S.C. Section 2255 (Doc. No. 178) is DENIED.”
“the Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss is GRANTED. The Complaint is DISMISSED with prejudice.”
“Hall’s motion to vacate, set aside, or correct a sentence pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2255 (Doc. No. 96) is DENIED.”
“the Motions for Leave to File under Seal are DENIED. The Parties are directed to file each document publicly without restriction.”
“Lazalde’s Motion to Vacate under 28 U.S.C. Section 2255 is DENIED. The Motion to Vacate is, therefore, DISMISSED.”
“Royalty’s Motion for Attorneys’ Fees and Costs is GRANTED, in part, and DENIED, in part. The Clerk of Court is directed to amend the judgment to award Royalty attorneys’ fees in the amount of $82,063.20 and costs totaling $350.”
“the Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss Indictment is GRANTED, in part, and DENIED, in part. The Indictment is DISMISSED without prejudice.”
“the Court GRANTS the United States Motion for Summary Judgment (Doc. No. 117) regarding Officer Webb’s use of taser being objectively reasonable, and that it was objectively reasonable for Officer Webb to use deadly force”
“Plaintiff’s Motion for Partial Summary Judgment (Doc. No. 119) is DENIED”
“Plaintiffs request for a hearing regarding the summary judgment motions (Doc. No. 127) is hereby MOOT.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
Durations span a 12-day alien-detainee habeas to a 535-day oil-and-gas lease case. Keyword sample; not a representative caseload. Several cases (Structural Preservation Systems; EEOC v. East 40; West v. Bullrock; AstraZeneca v. Wrigley) remain pending.
Pending matters in the official report
Reported by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts under the Civil Justice Reform Act, as of March 31, 2026.
| Motions pending more than six months | 3 |
| Bench trials submitted more than six months | 0 |
| Bankruptcy appeals pending more than six months | 0 |
| Social Security appeals pending more than six months | 0 |
| Civil cases pending more than three years | 6 |
| Report | Motions over six months | Cases over three years |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 2026 | 3 | 6 |
| Sep 2025 | 1 | 4 |
| Mar 2025 | 1 | 7 |
| Sep 2024 | 11 | 6 |
| Mar 2024 | 9 | 6 |
| Sep 2023 | 4 | 14 |
| Mar 2023 | 5 | 18 |
| Sep 2022 | 14 | 18 |
| Mar 2022 | 18 | 13 |
| Sep 2021 | 9 | 6 |
| Mar 2021 | 13 | 10 |
| Sep 2020 | 6 | 10 |
A snapshot on that date: matters listed may since have been decided or reassigned. A motion referred to a magistrate judge is counted for both judges. Motions in multidistrict litigation, section 2255 cases and Social Security appeals are not counted, and a very large three-year count is generally a multidistrict docket. Source: Appendix A of the report (PDF); about the report.
A historical record
Judge Traynor left this court for the U.S. Supreme Court. This profile stays available as a record of how they ruled here. If you're preparing for a matter, start from the court's current bench.