Rose picked for federal bench

CEDAR RAPIDS - President Barack Obama nominated U.S. Attorney Stephanie Rose late Thursday as the next federal judge in the Southern District of Iowa.

Rose, of Center Point, said she received the call from Sen. Tom Harkin in late afternoon and then got the news release from the White House.

“This has been a really involved process and I'm honored to be selected, especially with the other talented women that were also nominated,” she said last night. “If the Senate confirms me, I will be happy to serve and look forward to the diversity of the Southern District and the new opportunities.”

Obama said Rose and Michael Shea, whom he nominated Thursday as a federal judge in Connecticut, have “demonstrated the talent, expertise, and fair-mindedness Americans expect and deserve from their judicial system. I am grateful for their willingness to serve and confident that they will apply the law with the utmost impartiality and integrity.”

In a news release, Harkin, D-Iowa, said Rose is a “superb attorney and among jurists, prosecutors and the defense bar has a reputation as an extremely fair and ethical prosecutor who possesses great legal ability, intellect, and judgment.”

“There is no question in my mind that Stephanie Rose would be an outstanding federal judge,” he continued. “... I urge my Senate colleagues to confirm her for this important position as quickly as possible.”

Rose served 12 years as an assistant U.S. attorney before being appointed the top prosecutor in 2009. She will be the first woman to serve as a federal judge in the Southern District and only the second woman to serve on the federal bench in Iowa's history.

Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Bob Teig, who retired last year after 31 years, said Thursday that Rose will make an “excellent” federal judge.

“She has experience in the courtroom and as an administrator,” Teig said. “She has a broad view of the federal legal system and she's very intelligent. Stephanie will make a great additional to the federal bench.”

Teig worked with Rose throughout her career with the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The Gazette's James Q. Lynch contributed to this report.