Rosenbaum to resign from federal bench in August

A federal judge in Minnesota who presided over cases including complex terror investigations, high-profile murders and a recent $190 million Ponzi scheme is stepping down after 25 years on the bench.

In a letter to colleagues, U.S. District Judge James Rosenbaum said the time he served as a federal judge and the preceding four years he spent as U.S. attorney for Minnesota were an "extraordinary honor and a professional pleasure." He plans to resign in August.

"He will be missed on our bench," U.S. Chief Judge Michael Davis said Wednesday. "He is one of the most intelligent and witty jurists in the country."

Rosenbaum, 65, was out of the office Wednesday and unavailable for comment. But in his April 13 letter to colleagues, he wrote that he expected "to embark on a new career, primarily doing alternative dispute resolution and working on complex legal and discovery matters."

Rosenbaum, a Minnesota native, has been overseeing the cases involving several young Somali men accused of fighting with terrorists in their homeland. The case has garnered international attention.

He recently presided over a guilty plea in a $190 million Ponzi scheme run by a young money manager who defrauded at least 1,000 victims to fund a lavish lifestyle. He also presided over medical device lawsuits, disputes involving multimillion-dollar stock options and the 1998 murder of an armored-truck security guard.

"Judge Rosenbaum is an outstanding jurist," Davis said. "He's handled many complex and perplexing cases to a satisfactory conclusion."

Rosenbaum graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1966, and earned a law degree there in 1969. He began his legal career in Chicago, working on federal civil rights cases for Volunteers in Service to America. He eventually returned to Minnesota and begin a private practice specializing in trial work in 1972.

He was appointed U.S. attorney for Minnesota in 1981, and held the post until President Ronald Reagan appointed him to the federal bench in 1985. He served as chief judge in the District of Minnesota from 2001 through 2008, according to his office.

Rosenbaum went on senior status last fall but maintained a full case load.

Federal judges serve for life, but after meeting certain requirements they can take senior status and continue to remain as active as desired. Davis said Rosenbaum's current cases will be randomly distributed to other judges.

On Wednesday, President Barack Obama nominated U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan Richard Nelson to take Rosenbaum's place.

"I am honored to nominate these outstanding candidates to serve on the United States District Court bench," said President Obama. "They all have long and distinguished records of service, and I am confident they will continue to serve the American people with integrity and an unwavering commitment to justice."

The nomination must still be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

Nelson has served as a federal magistrate in Minnesota since June 2000. Before that, she spent 22 years as a trial lawyer in both state and federal courts.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)