--- title: "Ross A. Walters | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/ross-a-walters-9216" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Ross A. Walters U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa · Magistrate ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa - State: Iowa - Role: Magistrate - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-06-30 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - 2015–present: Recalled magistrate judge, Southern District of Iowa - Recalled U.S. Magistrate Judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, serving since 1994 and retired from the bench in 2015 - Ross A. Walters has been a U.S. Magistrate Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa since his initial appointment in 1994, serving a renewable eight‐year term - Law clerk to U.S. District Judge William C. Hanson - Earlier, he clerked for U.S. District Judge William C. Hanson ### Education - Walters graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1971 and the University of Iowa Law School in 1977. - Undergraduate degree — Pennsylvania State University — 1971 - University of Iowa — J.D. ### Additional information - Magistrate, District Court, S.D. Iowa, 1994-present - Recalled to active service in 2015 after retiring from the bench in February 2015. - He first served as a magistrate for the court from 1994 until his retirement from the bench in February 2015. - Iowa District Court Judge in Des Moines for four years before federal magistrate service. - More than twenty years as a U.S. magistrate judge in the Southern District of Iowa after four years as an Iowa district court judge in Des Moines. - During college, he spent two summers working as a seasonal park ranger at Gettysburg National Military Park. ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### recording photography streaming Scope: statewide Iowa prohibits broadcasting, recording, photographing, texting, blogging, or tweeting real-time courtroom coverage unless the presiding judicial officer permits it in advance. Evidence excerpt: prohibited unless the presiding judicial officer expressly permits coverage in advance [Iowa Judicial Branch: Expanded News Media Coverage](https://www.iowacourts.gov/newsroom/expanded-news-media-coverage) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### presiding judge discretion Scope: statewide Iowa's expanded news media coverage framework requires approval, but the judge should allow coverage unless it would materially interfere with protected interests or the proceeding. Evidence excerpt: The judge shall allow expanded news media coverage unless the judge concludes [Iowa Judicial Branch: Expanded News Media Coverage](https://www.iowacourts.gov/newsroom/expanded-news-media-coverage) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### electronic devices for media Scope: statewide Iowa Chapter 25 requires approval before using electronic devices for photography, video recording, audio recording, or streaming video in a courtroom. Evidence excerpt: Electronic devices for photography, video recording, audio recording, or streaming video may not be used [Chapter 25 Rules for Expanded News Media Coverage](https://www.iowacourts.gov/static/media/cms/25_2_44097B6A827DC.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9216/ross-a-walters/) - [Official roster](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9216/ross-a-walters/) - [U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa current judicial profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9216/ross-a-walters/) - [Iowa Judicial Branch: Expanded News Media Coverage](https://www.iowacourts.gov/newsroom/expanded-news-media-coverage) - [Chapter 25 Rules for Expanded News Media Coverage](https://www.iowacourts.gov/static/media/cms/25_2_44097B6A827DC.pdf) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9216/ross-a-walters/) - [Ross Walters - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Ross_Walters) - [portal.clubrunner.ca](https://portal.clubrunner.ca/1637/Stories/judge-ross-walters-the-battle-of-gettysburg) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9216/ross-a-walters/) - [Ross Walters - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Ross_Walters) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/ross-a-walters-9216", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/ross-a-walters-9216", "name": "Ross A. 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Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.