Northern District of Illinois / Appointed 2020 / Active
Iain David Johnston
Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Appointed by President Donald J. Trump in 2020 and confirmed by the Senate 77–14, Iain David Johnston is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He earned a law degree from John Marshall Law School (now University of Illinois Chicago School of Law) in 1990. Sources ↓
- Born
- 1965 · age 61
- Appointed by
- Donald J. Trump, 2020
- Confirmed
- 77–14
- Education
- Rockford College 1987 · John Marshall Law School (now of Illinois Chicago Law) 1990
- Succeeded
- Frederick J. Kapala
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Northern District of Illinois succeeded Frederick J. Kapala | Trump (R) | 77–14 |
Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own.
Confirmation vote
Nomination Confirmed 77–14 on September 17, 2020 · 116th Congress, Roll Call 183. Each senator links to their judicial-voting record.
Voted to confirm · 77
29 D, 47 R, 1 I
- Lamar Alexander(R-TN)
- Tammy Baldwin(D-WI)
- John Barrasso(R-WY)
- Michael Bennet(D-CO)
- Marsha Blackburn(R-TN)
- Roy Blunt(R-MO)
- John Boozman(R-AR)
- Mike Braun(R-IN)
- Sherrod Brown(D-OH)
- Ben Cardin(D-MD)
- Thomas Carper(D-DE)
- Bob Casey(D-PA)
- Bill Cassidy(R-LA)
- Susan Collins(R-ME)
- Christopher Coons(D-DE)
- John Cornyn(R-TX)
- Catherine Cortez Masto(D-NV)
- Tom Cotton(R-AR)
- Kevin Cramer(R-ND)
- Mike Crapo(R-ID)
- Ted Cruz(R-TX)
- Steve Daines(R-MT)
- Tammy Duckworth(D-IL)
- Richard Durbin(D-IL)
- Mike Enzi(R-WY)
- Joni Ernst(R-IA)
- Dianne Feinstein(D-CA)
- Deb Fischer(R-NE)
- Cory Gardner(R-CO)
- Lindsey Graham(R-SC)
- Charles Grassley(R-IA)
- Maggie Hassan(D-NH)
- Josh Hawley(R-MO)
- Martin Heinrich(D-NM)
- John Hoeven(R-ND)
- Cindy Hyde-Smith(R-MS)
- Jim Inhofe(R-OK)
- Doug Jones(D-AL)
- Timothy Kaine(D-VA)
- John Kennedy(R-LA)
- Angus King(I-ME)
- James Lankford(R-OK)
- Patrick Leahy(D-VT)
- Mike Lee(R-UT)
- Kelly Loeffler(R-GA)
- Joseph Manchin(D-WV)
- Mitch McConnell(R-KY)
- Martha McSally(R-AZ)
- Lisa Murkowski(R-AK)
- Christopher Murphy(D-CT)
- Rand Paul(R-KY)
- Gary Peters(D-MI)
- Rob Portman(R-OH)
- Jack Reed(D-RI)
- James Risch(R-ID)
- Pat Roberts(R-KS)
- Mitt Romney(R-UT)
- Jacklyn Rosen(D-NV)
- Mike Rounds(R-SD)
- Marco Rubio(R-FL)
- Ben Sasse(R-NE)
- Tim Scott(R-SC)
- Jeanne Shaheen(D-NH)
- Richard Shelby(R-AL)
- Tina Smith(D-MN)
- Debbie Stabenow(D-MI)
- Dan Sullivan(R-AK)
- Jon Tester(D-MT)
- John Thune(R-SD)
- Thomas Tillis(R-NC)
- Patrick Toomey(R-PA)
- Tom Udall(D-NM)
- Chris Van Hollen(D-MD)
- Mark Warner(D-VA)
- Sheldon Whitehouse(D-RI)
- Roger Wicker(R-MS)
- Todd Young(R-IN)
Voted against · 14
14 D
- Richard Blumenthal(D-CT)
- Cory Booker(D-NJ)
- Maria Cantwell(D-WA)
- Kirsten Gillibrand(D-NY)
- Mazie Hirono(D-HI)
- Amy Klobuchar(D-MN)
- Edward Markey(D-MA)
- Robert Menendez(D-NJ)
- Jeff Merkley(D-OR)
- Patty Murray(D-WA)
- Brian Schatz(D-HI)
- Charles Schumer(D-NY)
- Elizabeth Warren(D-MA)
- Ron Wyden(D-OR)
Did not vote · 9
2 D, 6 R, 1 I
- Richard Burr(R-NC)
- Shelley Capito(R-WV)
- Kamala Harris(D-CA)
- Ron Johnson(R-WI)
- Jerry Moran(R-KS)
- David Perdue(R-GA)
- Bernard Sanders(I-VT)
- Rick Scott(R-FL)
- Kyrsten Sinema(D-AZ)
Education
| Rockford College | B.S. | 1987 |
| John Marshall Law School (now University of Illinois Chicago School of Law) | J.D. | 1990 |
Before the bench
Professional career before and outside the federal bench, as recorded by the Federal Judicial Center.
| Law clerk, Hon. Thomas E. Hoffman, Illinois Circuit Court, Cook County | 1990 |
| Law clerk, Hon. Philip G. Reinhard, Illinois Appellate Court, Second District | 1990-1992 |
| Law clerk, Hon. Philip G. Reinhard, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois | 1992 |
| Private practice, Rockford, Illinois | 1992-1993 |
| Assistant attorney general, State of Illinois | 1993-1998 |
| Adjunct professor, John Marshall Law School | 1996-1999, 2008, 2010, 2012 |
| General counsel, Waubonsee Community College | 1998-1999 |
| Private practice, Chicago, Illinois | 1999-2013 |
| Administrative law judge, Illinois Drycleaners Environmental Response Trust Fund Council | 2005-2013 |
| Administrative law judge, Illinois Department of Insurance | 2006 |
| Administrative law judge, Illinois State Police | 2006-2013 |
| Board counsel, Northeast Illinois Commuter Railroad Corp. | 2010-2013 |
Questions & answers
- Who appointed Iain David Johnston?
- President Donald J. Trump appointed Iain David Johnston to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in 2020.
- Was Iain David Johnston appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Iain David Johnston was appointed by President Donald J. Trump, a Republican. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Iain David Johnston's confirmation vote?
- The Senate confirmed Iain David Johnston 77–14 on September 17, 2020.
- Which court is Iain David Johnston on?
- Iain David Johnston is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- Portrait: U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
- Confirmation roll-call (Senate.gov, 2020)
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
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6 years on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Data as of 2026-09-28. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).