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Minnesota's longest-serving federal judge, David Doty, died Saturday. He was 96. 

In an email to court staff, U.S. District Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz called Doty "a great man and a great judge."

"He will be deeply missed by all who knew him," Schiltz wrote. "When I visited him recently, he made it clear that he was completely at peace with the fact that his long and remarkable life was nearing its end."

Doty served as a captain in the Marine Corps in the 1950s before spending 25 years as a trial lawyer after graduating from the University of Minnesota Law School.

He was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the federal bench in 1987 and served for nearly four decades. He presided over a landmark NFL antitrust lawsuit in the early 1990s, which paved the way for unrestricted player movement in professional football. A jury found that the league’s limited free agency system for players violated antitrust law.

Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced, but the federal court plans to hold a memorial session in Doty’s honor.

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U.S. District Judge David Doty died on Saturday just a few days before turning 97. He served on the bench since 1987.

Minnesota’s longest-serving federal judge dies

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