U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Illinois · A federal trial court, where federal civil and criminal cases are first heard. Appeals go to the Seventh Circuit.
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois is a United States district court, a federal trial court where most federal civil and criminal cases are first heard. It lies within the Seventh Circuit, which reviews its decisions on appeal. This page lists every judge to serve on the court, current and former, with who appointed them and whom they succeeded.
Party letters here are the appointing president’s, never a judge’s own: D Democratic, R Republican, N pre-modern-party era (Federalist, Whig, and other early parties); “–” means no recorded party. Counts cover the court’s entire history.
Judges in active service
- Virginia M. Kendall
- Robert M. Dow Jr.
- Edmond E. Chang
- Sharon J. Coleman
- John J. Tharp Jr.
- Sara L. Ellis
- Andrea R. Wood
- Jorge L. Alonso
- John R. Blakey
- Manish S. Shah
- Martha M. Pacold
- Mary M. Rowland
- Steven C. Seeger
- Iain D. Johnston
- John F. Kness
- Franklin U. Valderrama
- Jeffrey I. Cummings
- Jeremy C. Daniel
- LaShonda A. Hunt
- Lindsay C. Jenkins
- Georgia N. Alexakis
- Sunil R. Harjani
- April M. Perry
Senior judges
Still members of the court: senior judges have stepped back from a full docket but continue to hear cases.
- Marvin E. Aspen
- Charles P. Kocoras
- Charles R. Norgle Sr.
- Suzanne B. Conlon
- George M. Marovich
- Philip G. Reinhard
- Elaine E. Bucklo
- Robert W. Gettleman
- Joan B. Gottschall
- Rebecca R. Pallmeyer
- Ronald A. Guzman
- Matthew F. Kennelly
- Joan H. Lefkow
- Frederick J. Kapala
- Thomas M. Durkin
Seats over time
Each band is one judgeship, from the court’s founding to today. A segment’s width is the holder’s tenure; its color is the appointing president’s party. Gaps are vacancies.
Matthew F. Kennelly (current) · April Michelle Perry (current) · Rebecca R. Pallmeyer (current) · Georgia Nick Alexakis (current) · Charles Petros Kocoras (current) · Robert Michael Dow Jr. (current) · Andrea Robin Wood (current) · Franklin Ulyses Valderrama (current) · Suzanne B. Conlon (current) · Virginia Mary Kendall (current) · Robert William Gettleman (current) · Jeremy Christen Daniel (current) · Thomas Michael Durkin (current) · Sunil Ramesh Harjani (current) · John Joseph Tharp Jr. (current) · Elaine E. Bucklo (current) · Edmond E-Min Chang (current) · Mary Margaret Rowland (current) · Steven Charles Seeger (current) · Lindsay Clayton Jenkins (current) · Joan B. Gottschall (current) · Sara Lee Ellis (current) · Marvin E. Aspen (current) · John Fitzgerald Kness (current) · George Michael Marovich (current) · Martha Maria Pacold (current) · Charles Ronald Norgle Sr. (current) · LaShonda Annette Hunt (current) · Joan Humphrey Lefkow (current) · Manish Suresh Shah (current) · John Robert Blakey (current) · Ronald A. Guzman (current) · Jorge Luis Alonso (current) · Sharon Johnson Coleman (current) · Philip Godfrey Reinhard (current) · Frederick J. Kapala (current) · Iain David Johnston (current) · Jeffrey Irvine Cummings (current) · William Joseph Campbell · William Thomas Hart
Former judges
Magistrate judges
Appointed by the judges of this district to renewable 8-year terms, not nominated by the president or confirmed by the Senate. They handle pretrial matters, misdemeanors, and many civil cases by consent.
| Magistrate judge | Years |
|---|---|
| Margaret Schneider Remillard | 2021–present |
| Beth Jantz | 2020–present |
| Heather K. McShain | 2020–present |
| Jeffrey I. Cummings | 2019–present |
| Gabriel A. Fuentes | 2019–present |
| Sunil R. Harjani | 2019–present |
| Lisa A. Jensen | 2019–present |
| Mary M Rowland | 2019–present |
| M. David Weisman | 2016–present |
| Iain D. Johnston | 2013–present |
| Sheila M. Finnegan | 2010–present |
| Jeffrey T. Gilbert | 2010–present |
| Young B. Kim | 2010–present |
| Susan E. Cox | 2007–present |
| Jefferey N. Cole | 2005–present |
| Maria G. Valdez | 2005–present |
| Sidney Schenkier | 1998–present |
| Andrew P. Rodovich | 1982–present |
| Daniel G Martin | 2012–2018 |
| Michael T Mason | 2001–2019 |
| Nan R Nolan | 1998–2012 |
| Morton Denlow | 1996–2012 |
| Arlander Keys | 1995–2009 |
| P. Michael Mahoney | 1976–2012 |
Bankruptcy court
Practicing before this court
The rules that govern a case here (the N.D. Illinois’s local rules, standing orders, and each judge’s own procedures) live on the court’s official site. Direct links:
Links to the court’s own site, verified 2026-07-05. Rules change. Confirm against the court’s current posting before filing.
How a judge gets here. Each judge is nominated by a president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, then holds a numbered seat, for life, until they take senior status, or until they leave the bench. Open any judge to see who appointed them, how the Senate voted, and whom they succeeded, a chain that runs back to 1855. This court is also served by magistrate judges, listed above, whom the district’s own judges appoint. Read more on how federal judges are appointed.
Source: FJC Biographical Directory and CourtListener / Free Law Project (bulk data). Data as of 2026-08-10 (FJC); magistrates 2026-03-31 (CourtListener bulk snapshot). Verify against the primary source before relying.