James E. Gritzner (born 1947) is an active United States federal judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.
Gritzner was born in Charles City, Iowa. He received a B.A. from Dakota Wesleyan University in 1969, and a M.A. from the University of Northern Iowa in 1974. He received a J.D. from Drake University Law School in 1979. Before graduating from law school, he served as an assistant to U.S. Magistrate Ronald Longstaff on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa from 1977 to 1979. While in private practice from 1979 to 2002, he served as a Member of the Iowa Board of Parole from 1980 to 1982.
Since 2002, Gritzner has served as a federal judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. Gritzner was nominated by President George W. Bush on September 4, 2001, to a seat vacated when Charles R. Wolle went on senior status. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 14, 2002, and received his commission on February 19, 2002.