Born in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, Erickson received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Jamestown College in 1980 and a Juris Doctor from the University of North Dakota School of Law in 1984.

[1] On June 7, 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Erickson to serve as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, to the seat vacated by Judge Kermit Edward Bye, who assumed senior status on April 22, 2015.

[4] On September 28, 2017, the United States Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 95–1 vote.

[1] He is the chairperson of the United States Judicial Conference Committee on Codes of Conduct.

[7] Erickson spoke about his personal struggle overcoming alcoholism during his hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee.