Stephanie Marie Rose

Stephanie Marie Rose (née King; born 1972) is the chief United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. She is the first female judge to serve in the Southern District.

Early life and education

Rose was born Stephanie Marie King in Topeka, Kansas in 1972. She graduated from Mason City High School in Mason City, Iowa. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism and sociology in 1994 from the University of Iowa with highest distinction. She received her Juris Doctor in 1996 from the University of Iowa College of Law with high distinction and was a member of the Order of the Coif. During law school, she worked at Bradley & Riley, a law firm in Cedar Rapids. She also worked as a journalist for newspapers in Mason City, Iowa City, and Webster City from 1989 to 1994, including a stint as a dirt track racing correspondent. She tried 33 criminal cases. Prosecutors, led by Rose, initially had sought a life sentence for Rubashkin, but later agreed to seek 25 years after the life sentence request was criticized by former Justice Department officials including six former Attorneys General.

Federal judicial service

On February 2, 2012, President Barack Obama nominated Rose to be United States District Judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. Rose received a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 14, 2012 and her nomination was reported to the floor on April 19, 2012, by voice vote, with Senator Mike Lee recorded as voting no. On September 10, 2012, the Senate confirmed her nomination by a 89–1 vote, Senator DeMint casting the sole no vote. She received her commission on September 17, 2012.

At the time of her confirmation, Rose was the youngest Article III federal judge in the country. She oversaw the case of Mo Hailong, who was convicted of economic espionage against Pioneer Hi Bred International and Monsanto after extensive pretrial litigation. Rose became chief judge on February 10, 2022.