Charles Robert Wolle


Charles Robert Wolle is a former justice of the Iowa Supreme Court who currently serves as a Senior United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.

Education and career

Born in Sioux City, Iowa, Wolle received an Artium Baccalaureus degree from Harvard College in 1959 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1961. He was in private practice in Sioux City from 1961 to 1980, also serving as a Reserve Sergeant in the United States Army from 1961 to 1967. He was a judge of the Iowa District Court for the Third Judicial District, from 1981 to 1983. He became a justice of the Iowa Supreme Court on March 11, 1983, serving until August 12, 1987. He also became a member of the faculty of the National Judicial College in 1983.

Federal judicial service

On July 1, 1987, Wolle was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to a seat on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa that was vacated when Judge William Corwin Stuart assumed senior status. Wolle was confirmed by the United States Senate on August 5, 1987, and received his commission on August 6, 1987. He served as Chief Judge of the Southern District from 1992 to 2001, and assumed senior status on October 16, 2001.