Longtime Iowa federal judge dies at 78 after more than 26 years on the bench

Federal Judges

Longtime Iowa federal judge dies at 78 after more than 26 years on the bench

Robert Pratt died of a heart attack while at a gym

Ashley Carnahan Fox News

Published

February 2, 2026 10:14am EST

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Robert Pratt, a federal judge in Iowa who served more than two decades on the bench, died Wednesday after suffering cardiac arrest. He was 78.

His son, Michael Pratt, told The New York Times that his father died of a heart attack while at a gym.

Pratt was appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa by former President Bill Clinton in 1997 and went on to serve more than 26 years on the federal court.

The Iowa State Bar Association said he retired in 2023, having presided over cases including a sentencing decision that was later upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in Gall v. United States.

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A federal judge addresses newly sworn U.S. citizens during an outdoor naturalization ceremony at a public festival.

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 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.

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A judge stands at a podium addressing a crowd on a baseball field during a citizenship event.

Judge Robert W. Pratt speaks during the Iowa Cubs annual citizenship ceremony at Principal Park in Des Moines, Iowa, on July 4, 2019. (Olivia Sun/The Register via Imagn Images)

During a phone interview with The Associated Press, Pratt took aim at Trump’s pardons of John Tate and Jesse Benton, two former top aides to Ron Paul’s 2012 presidential campaign.

"It’s not surprising that a criminal like Trump pardons other criminals," he said. "But apparently to get a pardon, one has to be either a Republican, a convicted child murderer or a turkey."

The Associated Press reported that the remarks led to a judicial misconduct complaint by Lavenski Smith, who was serving as chief judge of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals at the time.

In an April 16, 2021, letter to Smith, Pratt apologized for the remarks and said he accepted the conclusion they could be construed as "inappropriate partisan statements."

A judge sits on a stage during a legal conference.

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.

Longtime Iowa federal judge dies at 78 after more than 26 years on the bench