Robert W. Pratt is a United States federal judge

United States federal judge

In the United States, the title of federal judge usually means a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article II of the United States Constitution....

.

Born in Emmetsburg, Iowa

Emmetsburg, Iowa

Emmetsburg is a city in Palo Alto County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,958 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Palo Alto County. Emmetsburg is home to a campus of Iowa Lakes Community College...

, Pratt received an A.A. from Iowa Lakes Community College in 1967, a B.A.

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

 from Loras College

Loras College

Loras College is a four-year Catholic college located in Dubuque, Iowa, with a general attendance of approximately 1,700 students. The school offers both undergraduate and graduate degree programs...

 in 1969, and a J.D.

Juris Doctor

Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...

 from Creighton University School of Law

Creighton University School of Law

Creighton University School of Law is a part of Creighton University. Founded in 1904, Creighton Law is one of 14 Jesuit Catholic law schools in the U.S. One out of every 10 American law students is enrolled in a Jesuit law school. Situated primarily in urban centers, these schools were...

 in 1972. He was a Staff attorney of Polk County

Polk County, Iowa

Polk County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 430,640 in the 2010 census, an increase from 374,601 in the 2000 census. The county seat is Des Moines, which is also the capital city of Iowa...

 Legal Aid Society from 1973 to 1974. He was in private practice in Des Moines, Iowa

Des Moines, Iowa

Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...

 from 1975 to 1997.

On January 7, 1997, Pratt was nominated by President Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton

William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...

 to a seat on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa

United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa

The United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa has jurisdiction over forty-seven of Iowa's ninety-nine counties. It is subject to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals The United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa (in case citations, S.D. Iowa) has...

 vacated by Harold D. Vietor. Pratt was confirmed by the United States Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

 on May 23, 1997, and received his commission on May 27, 1997. He became chief judge in 2006.

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