His mother was a high school English teacher and inspired Bryan to pursue a career in law after she read him the book To Kill a Mockingbird.

[5] Bryan earned his Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, from the University of Texas at Austin in 1998 and his Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 2002.

[8] He co-chaired the Ramsey County Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative during his time on the trial court.

[5] On October 9, 2019, Governor Tim Walz announced the appointment of Bryan to be a judge of the Minnesota Court of Appeals.

[10] President Biden nominated Bryan to the seat being vacated by Judge John R. Tunheim, who announced his intent to assume senior status upon confirmation of a successor.

[5] Bryan married Liz Kramer on November 16, 2002, after meeting each other at Yale University.

He previously served on the Macalester-Groveland Community Council and chaired the Minnesota Minority Recruiting Conference Committee for Twin Cities Diversity in Practice.