Robert W. Pratt | |
|---|---|
| Senior Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa | |
| Assumed office July 1, 2012 | |
| Chief Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa | |
| In office 2006–2011 | |
| Preceded by | Ronald Earl Longstaff |
| Succeeded by | James E. Gritzner |
| Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa | |
| In office May 27, 1997 – July 1, 2012 | |
| Appointed by | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Harold Duane Vietor |
| Succeeded by | Stephanie Marie Rose |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1947-05-03)May 3, 1947 (age 77) Emmetsburg, Iowa, U.S. |
| Education | Iowa Lakes Community College (AA) Loras College (BA) Creighton University (JD) |
Robert William Pratt (born May 3, 1947)[1] is an inactiveseniorUnited States district judge of theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.[2]
Pratt was born inEmmetsburg, Iowa. He received anAssociate of Arts degree fromIowa Lakes Community College in 1967, aBachelor of Arts degree fromLoras College in 1969, and aJuris Doctor fromCreighton University School of Law in 1972.[2] In college, he worked as a construction laborer and factory worker.[1] He was a staff attorney ofPolk County Legal Aid Society from 1973 to 1974, during which time his colleagues included future SenatorTom Harkin.[3] He was in private practice inDes Moines, Iowa from 1975 to 1997 at Funaro, Brick, & Pratt, then at Hedberg, Brick, Tann, Pratt & Ward, and then as asole practitioner.[1] His areas of practice includedpersonal injury,workers' compensation,Social Security, federal indigent criminal defense, and union-sidelabor law.[1][3] When he was confirmed, he described himself as having "devoted all of [his] practice to the problems of the low income and working class people of Iowa."[1] He jokes that he "is the only lawyer to have left legal aid and gotten poorer clients."[4] He also worked for Harkin's political campaigns.[1]
On January 7, 1997, Pratt was nominated by PresidentBill Clinton to a seat on theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa vacated by JudgeHarold Duane Vietor. SenatorTom Harkin recommended Pratt for the position.[1] Pratt was confirmed by theUnited States Senate on May 23, 1997, and received his commission on May 27, 1997. He served as chief judge from 2006 to 2011. He assumedsenior status on July 1, 2012.[2] Pratt became inactive in 2023.
Pratt is a longtime opponent of theUnited States Federal Sentencing Guidelines andmandatory sentencing. He wrote in 1999 that "we [have] built a system that incarcerates our fellow citizens for inordinately long periods of time, wastes huge amounts of taxpayer dollars, ruins lives, and does not accomplish the stated purpose."[5] Even after the Sentencing Guidelines became advisory inUnited States v. Booker, theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit continued to strictly enforce them, and it reversed Pratt nine times for sentencing below the guidelines.[3] In one of those cases,Gall v. United States, theSupreme Court of the United States reversed the Eighth Circuit and reaffirmed Pratt's decision to depart from the Sentencing Guidelines to sentence a man to probation rather than prison for a drug crime.[6] Pratt has taught sentencing seminars through theFederal Judicial Center.[3] He has also issued notable decisions upholding Iowa's campaign finance regulations and merit selection system for choosing state judges.[7]
In a December 28, 2020, interview with theAssociated Press, Pratt criticized PresidentDonald Trump forhis pardons, stating that "[i]t's not surprising that a criminal like Trump pardons other criminals" and that "[a]pparently to get a pardon, one has to be either a Republican, a convicted child murderer or a turkey."[8] In June 2021, Pratt apologized for those comments.[9]
On September 13, 2021, Pratt issued a temporary restraining order blocking Iowa House File 847, which prohibits local school districts from putting mask mandates in place. This temporary restraining order allowed local school boards to pass their own mask mandates.[10] The Eighth Circuit affirmed Judge Pratt's decision.[11]
Pratt is an elected member of theAmerican Law Institute.[4] He is married with three children.[3]
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa 1997–2012 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa 2006–2011 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
