Adjunct Professor of Law Ryan Harris is a member of the Utah Court of Appeals, appointed to that position in 2017 by Governor Gary Herbert. Prior to that appointment, Judge Harris served as a trial judge in Utah’s Third District Court for nearly six years, where he served as the Associate Presiding Judge. While a trial judge, Judge Harris twice received the Judicial Excellence Award from the Litigation Section of the Utah State Bar.

Judge Harris graduated magna cum laude and with University honors from Brigham Young University in 1995, and graduated with distinction from Stanford Law School in 1998. Upon graduating from law school, Judge Harris served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Stephen H. Anderson of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Following his clerkship, Judge Harris practiced law in Salt Lake City at the firm of Jones, Waldo, Holbrook & McDonough, where in addition to maintaining a civil trial practice he also served on the firm's board of directors and executive committee. Prior to his appointment to the Third District Court, Judge Harris served as a small claims judge for eight years. Judge Harris is a past chairperson of the Litigation Section of the Utah State Bar.