Stephen H. Locher

Stephen Henley Locher (born 1978) is an American lawyer who has served as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa since 2022. He previously served as a United States magistrate judge of the same court from 2021 to 2022.

Education

Locher's hometown is Mason City, Iowa. He received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Notre Dame, magna cum laude, in 2000 and his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 2003. During law school, he taught economics at Harvard University.

Federal judicial service United States magistrate judge service

On December 21, 2020, Locher was selected to serve as a United States magistrate judge. He was sworn in on June 1, 2021.

District court service

On February 7, 2022, Senators Charles Grassley and Joni Ernst recommended Locher to fill a vacancy on the Southern District of Iowa. On April 13, 2022, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Locher to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. On May 11, 2022, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee. On June 9, 2022, his nomination was reported out of committee by a voice vote, with Senator Josh Hawley voted "nay" on record. On July 14, 2022, the United States Senate confirmed his nomination by a voice vote. He received his judicial commission on July 18, 2022.

Notable rulings

On December 29, 2023, Locher blocked parts of a bill that would ban books. On January 12, 2024, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds appealed his ruling, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit heard oral arguments on his ruling on June 18, 2024. The appeals court appeared skeptical of Locher's injunction, suggesting he may have overstepped and that the plaintiffs lacked standing. Locher reheard the case following the appeals court's guidance, and on March 25, 2025 he reinstated the preliminary injunction against enforcement of sections of the law that would ban books from school libraries.

Personal life

Locher is married to Sarah Crane, a judge of the Iowa District Court, with whom he has four children.