Judge Norman C. Roettger

By John R. Byrne

I never appeared before Judge Roettger but people told me that he was often armed while sitting on the bench. That got my attention. There was also his magnificent handlebar mustache, rendered perfectly in the portrait below. 

Judge Roettger was serving as Chief Judge of the district when the planning for the "new" Miami federal courthouse began. He chose Judge Moore to oversee the project, which ultimately produced the Wilkie D., where his portrait now hangs with the portraits of the other chief judges. 

FBA write up below.

Judge Norman C. Roettger was nominated to the district court by President Nixon and served from 1972 to 2003, including a term as chief judge from 1991 to 1997. Prior to his legal career, Judge Roettger served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. In Beck v. Prupis, 529 U.S. 494 (2000), the Supreme Court affirmed Judge Roettger’s decision, holding that firing someone as part of a RICO conspiracy isn’t enough to sue under civil RICO unless the firing itself was racketeering or otherwise independently wrongful under RICO.