Remembering the Honorable Robert W. Pratt

Judge Pratt, who visited BU Law as its first Jurist in Residence in September 2024, served as a United States District Judge for the Southern District of Iowa for more than 26 years, leaving an enduring mark on the law, the judiciary, and the many lives he touched.

In Memoriam

Remembering the Honorable Robert W. Pratt

Judge Pratt, who visited BU Law as its first Jurist in Residence in September 2024, served as a United States District Judge for the Southern District of Iowa for more than 26 years, leaving an enduring mark on the law, the judiciary, and the many lives he touched.

February 6, 2026

The Honorable Robert W. Pratt, a retired United States District Judge for the Southern District of Iowa and a nationally respected voice on justice and sentencing, passed away on January 28th at the age of 78.

Throughout a distinguished career defined by compassion, intellectual rigor, and moral clarity, Judge Pratt earned a reputation as a jurist deeply committed to fairness, dignity, and the rule of law. He served on the US District Court for the Southern District of Iowa for more than 26 years, including five years as Chief Judge. Judge Pratt was nominated to the federal bench by President Bill Clinton in 1997.

Judge Pratt’s path to the judiciary was grounded in public service and advocacy for those most often left at the margins of the legal system. After earning a bachelor of arts degree from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, and a Juris Doctor from Creighton University School of Law, he began his legal career at the Polk County Legal Aid Society, now Iowa Legal Aid, where he represented low-income clients in domestic relations, consumer protection, and landlord-tenant matters. These early experiences shaped a lifelong commitment to access to justice and informed his later work on the bench.

In 1975, Judge Pratt entered private practice, where he continued to represent low-income clients and organized labor while also serving as a court-appointed criminal defense attorney. As his former colleague Art Hedberg once observed, Judge Pratt was “the only lawyer to have left legal aid and gotten poorer clients,” a reflection of his deeply held values and unwavering conviction. During this period, Judge Pratt tried more than 40 cases to verdict, argued 25 cases before the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and appeared in 20 cases before the Iowa Supreme Court and the Iowa Court of Appeals. In 1985, he opened his own firm, which he led until his appointment to the federal bench.

At his confirmation hearing, Senator Tom Harkin, a former colleague from the Legal Aid Society, described Judge Pratt as “one of the best public-interest lawyers in the country,” praising his “respect for the rule of law and his faith in our country’s system of justice,” which Harkin said was “inspiring.”

As a federal judge, Judge Pratt became known for his thoughtful, principled, and often courageous approach to decision-making. He was unafraid of reversal and focused instead on what he believed mattered most: getting the law right. Over the course of his judicial career, he presided over more than 150 cases that went to verdict, ruling on issues that shaped and reinforced fundamental rights and liberties. His interests in information technology, access to justice, and the reintegration of formerly incarcerated individuals into society gave his jurisprudence a rare and forward-looking perspective.

Having Judge Robert Pratt as a friend and mentor has been one of the greatest privileges of my life. Judge Pratt showed us why having the courage to live our convictions can create the conditions that enable the most vulnerable among us to be treated with greater dignity. He has left all of us who were fortunate enough to know him with a stronger belief in human kindness and hope for the future. His legacy endures not only in his incredible work as a jurist, but primarily in the humanity he opened in all of us.
Dean and Ryan Roth Gallo Professor of Law Angela Onwuachi-Willig

Nancy Shor (’76) met Judge Pratt during their nascent years of legal practice, and they remained friends throughout their careers. “He has been an inspiration for me for almost 50 years,” she shares. “Judge Pratt was the epitome of a federal judge. To his core, he believed in democracy and America, and he was honored to serve in the judiciary. Judge Pratt was devoted to the law and to the ideal of equality before the law.”

Judge Pratt was also widely admired for his humanity on the bench. In a practice that reflected his belief in accountability and redemption, he often invited defendants he had sentenced to return to the courthouse after their release to share their experiences, challenges, and aspirations for the future—an uncommon gesture that left a lasting impression on many.

“Judge Pratt was passionate about fairness and equity. He deeply wanted to make sure that people were heard, whether it was in his courtroom, the classroom, or community,” shares Creighton University School of Law Dean and Professor of Law Joshua P. Fershée.

One of Judge Pratt’s most consequential decisions arose from the case that would become Gall v. United States. Applying the then-newly advisory sentencing guidelines, Judge Pratt sentenced Brian Gall, a college student at the time of his drug offense, to probation rather than imprisonment. Although the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit reversed the sentence, the US Supreme Court ultimately upheld Judge Pratt’s decision in a landmark ruling that continues to shape federal sentencing law.

US District Court Judge Angel Kelley emphasizes the legacy of this important work, saying, “Judge Pratt’s moral and judicial compass ultimately prevailed, and all judges are now the beneficiaries of his courage. Judge Pratt was a gem of a judge because he was a gem of person.”

Beyond the district court, Judge Pratt also served as an appellate judge on panels of the US Courts of Appeals for the Eighth and Ninth Circuits and as the Eighth Circuit’s representative on the Judicial Conference Committee on Information Technology.

In September 2024, Judge Pratt joined Boston University School of Law as its first Jurist in Residence. During his two-week visit, he generously shared the wisdom he had gained over decades as a trial lawyer and judge, offering candid insight into the realities of judging, serving as a mentor to students, and engaging deeply with faculty and staff.

“Having Judge Robert Pratt as a friend and mentor has been one of the greatest privileges of my life,” Dean and Ryan Roth Gallo Professor of Law Angela Onwuachi-Willig says. “Judge Pratt showed us why having the courage to live our convictions can create the conditions that enable the most vulnerable among us to be treated with greater dignity. He has left all of us who were fortunate enough to know him with a stronger belief in human kindness and hope for the future. His legacy endures not only in his incredible work as a jurist, but primarily in the humanity he opened in all of us.”

Judge Pratt lived his values and embodied his morals throughout his career. As the Honorable Nancy Gertner (retired) so aptly reflects, “His heart opened for the marginalized, the silenced, from the moment he was a legal aid lawyer, through his private practice, and then his service as a judge.”

Judge Pratt is survived by his wife of more than 50 years, Rose Mary. Together, they were ardent supporters of legal clinics, pro bono work, and experiential learning at Creighton Law. Judge Pratt is also survived by their three children, his stepdaughter, and nine grandchildren. Judge Pratt’s legacy endures in the case law he shaped and the values he embodied—fairness, humility, courage, and an unwavering commitment to justice.

Colleagues Reflect on Judge Pratt’s Legacy:

Creighton University School of Law Dean and Professor of Law Joshua P. Fershée

Judge Pratt was passionate about fairness and equity. He deeply wanted to make sure that people were heard, whether it was in his courtroom, the classroom, or community.
He and his wife, Rose Mary, were ardent supporters of legal clinics, pro bono work, and experiential learning, both with their time and money. Clinical education has been an emphasis for me, too, and he would often write in support of our work. Last year, he wrote, “I know from your time as Dean that you believe the clinic is an essential part of the law school and Jesuit mission. I always enjoy telling those unfamiliar with such a concept that your role as a lawyer is to ‘comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.’ I am so pleased that you are continuing that mission.”
Judge Pratt also cared deeply about empathy. He once told me, “Empathy is probably the single most important part of a lawyer’s life or for that matter anyone’s life.” He sought to learn and understand people, and his long friendships with people from all backgrounds show that he was successful in his efforts.
I am eternally grateful for the kindness and support he showed me from the first day I arrived at Creighton. He loved being around the law school, our students, faculty and staff, and our graduates. He was a giant in the legal profession, and I will miss him.

US District Court Judge and Harvard Law School Senior Lecturer Nancy Gertner (retired)

When you first meet Judge Robert Pratt, what you notice immediately is his warmth and the humanity that radiates from him. You wouldn’t know that he was a judge and a distinguished one at that.
We met in 2005, serving on the IT Committee for the federal court, meeting regularly throughout the country. We emailed regularly about our families, the world, the plight of poor people who passed through our courts, and especially – especially- our mutual critique of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. He did more than talk, much more. In Gall v. United States, he decided to depart from the Sentencing Guidelines to sentence a man to probation rather than prison for a drug crime. The 8th Circuit reversed, but the Supreme Court affirmed his decision, making way for an extraordinary and important decision loosening the stranglehold of the federal Guidelines.
His heart opened for the marginalized, the silenced, from the moment he was a legal aid lawyer, through his private practice and then his service as a judge. He was a dear, dear friend, an empathic voice, and a model for us all.

US District Court Judge Angel Kelley

I had the pleasure of meeting Judge Pratt for the first time during his Jurist-in-Residence visit at BU. We immediately connected and stayed in touch since that meeting. After hearing him speak at a welcome reception, I had my eyes on Judge Pratt for a judicial educational program that I organize every other year on Judicial Courage and Decision-Making. We recently chatted as we periodically did, and he agreed to be our guest speaker this year. I invited Judge Pratt, because of how he described his judicial philosophy on sentencing. After several 8th Circuit reversals of his sentencing orders, one of his sentencing decisions was affirmed by the Supreme Court in Gall v. United States, which I cite at every sentencing hearing for the authoritative support for a non-guideline sentence and for respect that should be afforded to a sentencing judge’s lawful authority to impose a sentence that is just and fitting for the crime and individual to be sentenced.
Judge Pratt’s moral and judicial compass ultimately prevailed, and all judges are now the beneficiaries of his courage. Judge Pratt was a gem of a judge because he was a gem of person. To meet him is to admire him and I had the privilege of both due to BU inviting him as a Jurist in Residence.

Nancy Shor (’76)

Judge Pratt was the epitome of a federal judge. To his core, he believed in democracy and America, and was honored to serve in the judiciary. Judge Pratt was devoted to the law and to the ideal of equality before the law. Before he became a judge, he was a lawyer at legal aid and in private practice, where his clients included Social Security disability claimants. That practice was also mine, and I learned so much from him. He was always empathetic towards his clients, felt deeply for their plights, and relished representing them. He has been an inspiration for me for almost 50 years.
Judge Pratt’s participation as a scholar-in-residence at BU Law School last fall was a highlight of his legal career. He was so impressed by the commitment of the students and the faculty. He considered Dean Angela a superstar!