Judge S. Arthur Spiegel, one of the longest serving federal judges in Cincinnati history, has died at the age of 94.
Spiegel, a Marine Corps veteran of World War II, was appointed to the U.S. District Court of Southern Ohio in 1980 by President Jimmy Carter. In 1995, Spiegel took senior status, but continued to hear cases.
Several years ago, Spiegel published a memoir of his life called “A Trial on the Merits.” In it, he wrote of his legal career, but also of his time as a Marine, when he flew a single-engine plane into combat.
As a lawyer, Spiegel pursued civil rights cases. During his years as a judge, perhaps his most high profile case was the 1990 sentencing of Pete Rose on tax evasion. Spiegel sentenced Rose five months in a federal prison, three months in a halfway house, and a year of supervised release. He also fined Rose $50,000.
There is no age limit on federal judges, and Spiegel continued to work until near the end of his life.
Visitation will be at 11:30 a.m. Monday at Isaac M. Wise Temple at 720 Plum Street downtown. A funeral service will follow at 12:30 p.m. Burial will be private. Weil Funeral home is handling the arrangement.
