U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa is a United States district court, a federal trial court where most federal civil and criminal cases are first heard. It lies within the Eighth Circuit, which reviews its decisions on appeal. This page lists every judge to serve on the court, current and former, with who appointed them and whom they succeeded.
| Judge | Appointed by | Since |
|---|---|---|
| Ronald Earl Longstaff | Bush (R) | 1991 |
| James E. Gritzner | Bush (R) | 2002 |
| Stephanie Marie Rose | Obama (D) | 2012 |
| Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger | Obama (D) | 2016 |
| Stephen Henley Locher | Biden (D) | 2022 |
| Judge | Appointed by | Years |
|---|---|---|
| John Alfred Jarvey | Bush (R) | 2007–2022 |
| Robert W. Pratt | Clinton (D) | 1997–2026 |
| Charles Robert Wolle | Reagan (R) | 1987–2022 |
| Harold Duane Vietor | Carter (D) | 1979–2016 |
| Donald Eugene O'Brien | Carter (D) | 1978–1990 |
| William Corwin Stuart | Nixon (R) | 1971–2010 |
| William Cook Hanson | Kennedy (D) | 1962–1995 |
| Roy Laverne Stephenson | Eisenhower (R) | 1960–1971 |
| Edwin Richley Hicklin | Eisenhower (R) | 1957–1963 |
| William F. Riley | Truman (D) | 1950–1956 |
| Charles Almon Dewey | Coolidge (R) | 1928–1958 |
| Martin Joseph Wade | Wilson (D) | 1915–1931 |
| Smith McPherson | McKinley (R) | 1900–1915 |
| John Simson Woolson | Harrison (R) | 1892–1899 |
| James M. Love | (reassignment) (N) | 1882–1891 |
| Carroll O. Switzer | Truman (D) | ?–1950 |
How a judge gets here. Each judge is nominated by a president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, then holds a numbered seat, for life, until they take senior status, or until they leave the bench. Open any judge to see who appointed them, how the Senate voted, and whom they succeeded, a chain that runs back to 1882.
Source: FJC Biographical Directory. Data last verified 2026-06-28. Verify against the primary source before relying.