Judge Roy K. Altman Reflects on Legacy, Justice, and Public Service

On April 9, the Institute of Global Politics (IGP) at Columbia SIPA hosted a roundtable discussion with the Honorable Roy K. Altman, US District Judge for the Southern District of Florida and an IGP Carnegie Distinguished Fellow. Moderated by Columbia Law School Dean Emeritus David Schizer, the conversation delved into Judge Altman’s personal journey, judicial philosophy, and enduring belief in the power of public service.

Appointed at the age of 36, Altman was of the youngest federal judges in the country at the time. He reflected on his time as a student-athlete during his undergraduate years at Columbia—serving as quarterback for the football team and pitcher for the baseball team—and his deep affection for the Core Curriculum. His commitment to public service, he shared, was cemented during a visit to his grandfather in Caracas, as protests erupted over then-president Hugo Chávez’s move to overturn Venezuela’s constitutional term limits. “My grandfather looked at me and said, ‘Always remember: this is what happens to a country when good people don’t serve.’ I’ve never forgotten that.”

As a litigator, Altman represented families of passengers on Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, which disappeared over the Indian Ocean in 2014. Though a wrongful death claim was the natural legal route, Altman had to address families’ fears that such an option would bring an end to the search for their loved ones. Altman Skyped into auditoriums in Beijing and Kuala Lumpur each week in what he described as one of the most intense and emotionally complex experiences in his life.

In another chapter of his legal career as an assistant US attorney, Altman prosecuted a notorious serial rape case in South Florida, in which more than 450 young Black women had been victimized in a years-long scheme involving internet deception, drugging, and assault—often filmed and distributed without their knowledge.His investigation, which spanned all 50 states, ultimately resulted in convictions and life sentences for the perpetrators. Each year, on the anniversary of the sentencing, Altman receives cards and messages from survivors. “If I died tomorrow,” he said, “I would die knowing I had done my part for some number of people in our community.” His message to the audience was clear: “Spend your time in service to others.”