April 30, 2018 The United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa is pleased to announce the selection of Mark A. Roberts for the position of United States Magistrate Judge in Cedar Rapids. He will assume office when Chief Magistrate Judge C.J. Williams is confirmed and appointed as a United States District Judge. In accordance with 28 U.S.C. § 631 and the Regulations of the Judicial Conference of the United States Establishing Standards and Procedures for the Appointment and Reappointment of United States Magistrate Judges, the District Court published a public notice and appointed a Merit Selection Panel to assess the qualifications of applicants for the position. The Merit Selection Panel considered each applicant’s character, judgment, legal ability, temperament and commitment to equal justice under the law and, after conducting interviews, forwarded to the District Court the names of the five applicants that it decided were the most qualified. After assessing the qualifications of each of the five highly qualified applicants and conducting interviews, the District Court judges selected Mr. Roberts. Attorney Jeana Goosmann of Sioux City chaired the Merit Selection Panel. Other members of the Panel were Henry J. Bevel, III, attorney from Waterloo; Stuart Cochrane, attorney from Fort Dodge; Sean R. Berry, attorney from Cedar Rapids; Michael K. Lahammer, attorney from Cedar Rapids; John C. Gray, attorney from Sioux City; Frances M. Haas, attorney from Cedar Rapids; Jill Johnston, attorney from Cedar Rapids; Greg M. Lederer, attorney from Cedar Rapids; Emily Hughes, attorney from Iowa City; Elizabeth L. Kutter, community member from Cedar Rapids; LaNisha Cassell, community member from Cedar Rapids; and Stacey Walker, community member from Cedar Rapids. Mr. Roberts was born in Ames, Iowa, in 1966. He graduated from Iowa State University in 1989, receiving a B.A. with distinction in English and Political Science. He attended the University of Nebraska College of Law, graduating with high distinction with a J.D. in 1993. Mr. Roberts was an Executive Editor of the Nebraska Law Review and was awarded the Order of the Coif. Mr. Roberts joined the Cedar Rapids law firm now known as Simmons Perrine Moyer Bergman PLC in 1993 and began litigating a wide variety of cases. Mr. Roberts’s early practice included some notable criminal defense work. Mr. Roberts’s litigation practice has most recently included a wide variety of complex real estate, commercial and construction claims on behalf of design professionals, general contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, corporate and institutional owners, as well as individuals. In addition to his construction and commercial practice, Mr. Roberts has had a very active employment law practice in which he represents employers and employees with regard to their respective rights on a wide variety of claims, including non‐competition agreements, ERISA, harassment claims, discrimination claims and termination of employment. Mr. Roberts is a member of the Linn County Bar, the Iowa State Bar Association, the Iowa Defense Counsel Association and the American Bar Association. He has received a number of awards for his achievements. He has participated in the Volunteer Lawyer Program and served on a number of volunteer boards in the Cedar Rapids area. (Point of Contact is Paul De Young, Clerk of Court (319) 286‐2321).