[1] He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1986 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

He received his Juris Doctor in 1989 from the University of Illinois College of Law.

In this time, he prosecuted a broad range of federal criminal cases, including large drug conspiracies, complex frauds, and cybercrimes.

Bruce was First Assistant United States Attorney from 2010 to 2013, supervising all federal criminal investigations, prosecutions and appeals taking place within the Central District of Illinois.

[2][3] On May 6, 2013, President Barack Obama nominated Bruce to be a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois, to the seat vacated by Judge Michael Patrick McCuskey, who assumed senior status on June 30, 2013.