John Roll Remembered as Fair Jurist, Regular Guy

Received death threats after controversial 2008 immigration case
By Polly Davis Doig,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 15, 2011 12:03 AM CST
John Roll Remembered as Fair Jurist, Regular Guy
A hearse arrives at the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church for the funeral of U.S. District Judge John Roll Friday, Jan. 14, 2011, in Tucson, Ariz.   (Morry Gash)

Judge John Roll took tough immigration cases on head-on in his courtroom, but yesterday the slain judge was remembered as a guy who loved walking his beloved basset hounds and was prone to getting lost on the way to McDonald's. "That's always a good thing to hear, that people do things like that, like the rest of us do," said a lifelong friend. "It made him very human."

Roll was eulogized a day after fellow shooting victim Christina Taylor Green in the same church, reports the AP. The judge had fatefully stopped by Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' event last week to thank her for her push for more federal judges as illegal immigration cases had increased dramatically. Sens. Jon Kyl and John McCain will propose that a planned federal courthouse be named the "John M. Roll United States Courthouse." (More John Roll stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X