U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Illinois
U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Illinois is a United States bankruptcy court, the unit of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois that hears bankruptcy cases. Its judges are appointed by the Seventh Circuit to renewable 14-year terms, rather than nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. This page lists every bankruptcy judge to serve on the court, current and former, with when they were appointed and whom they succeeded.
| Judge | Since |
|---|---|
| Jack B. Schmetterer | 1985 |
| Carol A. Doyle | 1999 |
| Jacqueline P. Cox | 2003 |
| A. Benjamin Goldgar | 2003 |
| Pamela S. Hollis | 2003 |
| Janet S. Baer | 2012 |
| Timothy A. Barnes | 2012 |
| Donald R. Cassling | 2012 |
| Thomas M. Lynch | 2013 |
| Deborah Lee Thorne | 2015 |
| Lashonda A. Hunt | 2017 |
| David Cleary | 2019 |
| Judge | Years |
|---|---|
| Bruce W Black | 2001–2017 |
| Manuel Barbosa | 1998–2012 |
| John H Squires | 1988–2011 |
| Eugene R Wedoff | 1987–2015 |
| Susan Pierson Sonderby | 1986–2012 |
How a bankruptcy judge gets here. Bankruptcy judges are appointed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit to renewable 14-year terms, not nominated by the president or confirmed by the Senate. Each one is a judicial officer of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Open any judge to see when they were appointed and the court they serve.
Source: CourtListener / Free Law Project. Data last verified 2026-06-29. Verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).