Attorney General Eric Holder on Tuesday spoke at the investiture ceremony of former U.S. Attorney Stephanie Rose, the newest judge for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.
Stephanie Rose
Rose, who served as the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa, became the first woman to serve on the federal bench in the Southern District of Iowa, which is seated in Des Moines. At age 39, she is also now the youngest federal judge currently serving.
“There are really dreams that you don’t really dare to dream except in the reaches of your subconscious heart. And this is mine,” Rose said, according to a report by the Iowa City Press-Citizen. An audience of more than 400 people came to the ceremony at the courthouse in Des Moines, the report noted.
Holder, who has made a habit of visiting swearing-in ceremonies for various U.S. Attorneys during his tenure, traveled to Des Moines to deliver remarks at Rose’s ceremony.
The Attorney General said Rose’s 89-1 confirmation vote in the Senate was due to her “reputation as a tireless public servant and tireless advocate of the rule of law,” the Press-Citizen reported.
Rose isn’t a stranger to firsts: She was also the first woman to hold the U.S. Attorney position in the Northern District of Iowa, a post she held from 2009 until her confirmation to the federal bench earlier this year. She served on Holder’s Advisory Committee of U.S. Attorneys, a group of federal prosecutors considered to be the top of their U.S. Attorney class.
Rose, a longtime federal prosecutor, is a graduate of the University of Iowa and the University of Iowa College of Law.
