Daniel M. Traynor  Daniel Mack Traynor (born 1970) is a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of North Dakota. Traynor earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Dakota and his Juris Doctor, with distinction, from the University of North Dakota School of Law, where he served as an Associate Editor on the "North Dakota Law Review". Upon graduation from law school, Traynor served as a law clerk to Chief Justice Gerald W. VandeWalle of the North Dakota Supreme Court. From 1998–2019, he was a shareholder at the Traynor Law Firm in Devils Lake, North Dakota, where his practice focused on insurance defense, personal injury, and business litigation. On August 28, 2019, President Trump announced his intent to nominate Traynor to serve as a United States District Judge for the United States District Court for the District of North Dakota. On September 19, 2019, his nomination was sent to the Senate. He was nominated to the seat vacated by Judge Daniel L. Hovland, who assumed senior status on November 10, 2019. Traynor was recommended for the district court by Senator Kevin Cramer, who announced his support for the nomination. On September 25, 2019, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee. On October 31, 2019, his nomination was reported out of committee by a party-line 12–10 vote. On December 18, 2019, the United States Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a vote of 51–42. On December 19, 2019, his nomination was confirmed by a vote of 51–41. He received his judicial commission on January 13, 2020. Traynor is a member of the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education and former Chair of the Disciplinary Board of the North Dakota Supreme Court. He has been a member of the Federalist Society since 2016.