Northern District of Illinois / Appointed 1996 / Active

Joan B. Gottschall

Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

Appointed by President William J. Clinton in 1996 and confirmed by voice vote, Joan B. Gottschall is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. She earned a law degree from Stanford Law School in 1973. Sources: FJC Biographical Directory · Senate confirmation, July 25, 1996

Appointed by
William J. Clinton, 1996
Confirmed
by voice vote
Education
Smith College 1969 · Stanford Law School 1973
Succeeded by
Sara Lee Ellis
Federal judicial service
YearCourtAppointed byVote
1996Northern District of Illinois · succeeded James Byron MoranClinton (D)voice

A per-senator roll-call isn’t shown for this confirmation. The Senate’s recorded roll-call votes begin in 1989; many confirmations (especially before then, and most to the lower courts) were by voice vote or unanimous consent.

Education
Sources

29 years on the Northern District of Illinois. Data last verified 2026-06-28. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).