Roy Altman

Early life and education

Altman was born in Caracas, Venezuela, moving to the United States shortly afterwards. He graduated from Columbia University with a Bachelor of Arts in 2004, also playing as a quarterback on the football team and as a pitcher on the baseball team. Altman earned his Juris Doctor in 2007 from Yale Law School, where he was Projects Editor for the Yale Law Journal. He began his legal career as a law clerk to Judge Stanley Marcus of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

Altman served for six years as an assistant United States attorney for the Southern District of Florida, where he prosecuted hundreds of criminal cases and tried more than 20 cases to jury verdict, arguing several of them before the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He won the Director of the Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys Award for Superior Litigation Team in United States v. Mentor, the Director of the Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys Award for Superior Litigation Performance in United States v. Flanders, the Federal Bar Association Young Federal Lawyer Award, and the Federal Prosecutor of the Year award from the Miami-Dade County Association of Chiefs of Police and the Law Enforcement Officers Charitable Foundation.

Before becoming a judge, Altman was a partner at the law firm of Podhurst Orseck in Miami, Florida, where he specialized in aviation law and commercial litigation.

Federal judicial service

Altman was mentioned as a potential judicial nominee in February 2018. On April 26, 2018, President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Altman to serve as a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. On May 7, 2018, his nomination was sent to the Senate. He was nominated to the seat vacated by Judge Joan A. Lenard, who assumed senior status on July 1, 2017. On June 20, 2018, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee. On July 19, 2018, his nomination was reported out of committee by a 17–4 vote.

On January 3, 2019, his nomination was returned to the president under Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of the United States Senate. On January 23, 2019, President Trump announced his intent to renominate Altman for a federal judgeship. His nomination was sent to the Senate later that day. On February 7, 2019, his nomination was reported out of committee by a 16–6 vote. On April 3, 2019, the Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 66–33 vote. On April 4, 2019, Altman was confirmed by a 66–33 vote. He received his judicial commission on April 9, 2019. He was the youngest federal district court judge in the United States and the youngest-ever appointed judge in the Southern District of Florida.

Altman, Lee Rudofsky, and Matthew Solomon organized a week-long delegation of 14 U.S. federal judges to Israel in March 2024. The tour examined the impact of the October 7 attacks and the challenges they posed to the Israeli legal system, specifically International Humanitarian Law and the law of armed conflict from the Israeli perspective. During the visit, the delegation met with Foreign Ministry legal advisor Tal Becker, representatives of the IDF, and Palestinian activists. Since then, Altman has brought three different groups of U.S. federal judges to Israel, sponored by the World Jewish Congress.

Altman delivered the commencement address at the 2026 University of Miami School of Law Spring 2026 Commencement ceremony.

Works

In 2026, Altman published Israel on Trial, a book addressing legal and historical debates surrounding Israel, antisemitism, and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict after the October 7 attacks.

Memberships

Altman was a member of the Federalist Society from 2004 to 2007 and rejoined the organization in 2015. Since rejoining, Altman frequently speaks at events hosted by the Federalist Society to various audiences including law school students.