The Honorable Robert Pratt, retired senior U.S. District Court judge for the Southern District of Iowa, speaks during a naturalization ceremony at the World Food and Music Festival at Western Gateway Park in Des Moines, Iowa, on Aug. 22, 2025. (Ayrton Breckenridge/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
An obituary for Pratt, who was born May 3, 1947, described him as a man who "championed the underdog and the uncelebrated" throughout his career in public service.
In 2009, he helped launch an annual Fourth of July naturalization ceremony held alongside Iowa Cubs baseball games and later presided over dozens of ceremonies welcoming new U.S. citizens.
Pratt previously drew scrutiny after publicly criticizing President Donald Trump over a series of pardons in 2020, comments he later acknowledged were inappropriate for a federal judge.
Eighth Circuit Chief Judge Lavenski Smith introduces U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch during the Eighth Circuit Judicial Conference in Des Moines, Iowa, on Aug. 17, 2018. (Bryon Houlgrave/The Register via Imagn Images)
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"I acknowledge the wrongfulness of the comments, and I regret the embarrassment they have caused to my court and the judiciary in general. I am truly sorry for the remarks and apologize for having made them," Pratt wrote. "I also want to reaffirm my commitment to the impartial administration of justice in full compliance with the Code of Conduct for United States Judges."
He is survived by his wife, Rose Mary, three children, a stepdaughter and seven grandchildren.
Ashley Carnahan is a writer at Fox News Digital.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/longtime-iowa-federal-judge-dies-78-after-more-than-26-years-bench