John Fitzgerald Kness
Appointed by President Donald J. Trump in 2020 and confirmed by the Senate 81–12, John Fitzgerald Kness is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He earned a law degree from Northwestern University School of Law (now Pritzker School of Law) in 2003. Sources ↓
- Born
- 1969 · age 57
- Appointed by
- Donald J. Trump, 2020
- Confirmed
- 81–12
- Education
- Northwestern 1991 · Northwestern Law (now Pritzker School of Law) 2003
- Succeeded
- Samuel Der-Yeghiayan
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Northern District of Illinois succeeded Samuel Der-Yeghiayan | Trump (R) | 81–12 |
Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own.
Confirmation vote
Nomination Confirmed 81–12 on February 12, 2020 · 116th Congress, Roll Call 43. Each senator links to their judicial-voting record.
Voted to confirm · 81
29 D, 51 R, 1 I
- Lamar Alexander(R-TN)
- Tammy Baldwin(D-WI)
- John Barrasso(R-WY)
- Marsha Blackburn(R-TN)
- Richard Blumenthal(D-CT)
- Roy Blunt(R-MO)
- John Boozman(R-AR)
- Mike Braun(R-IN)
- Richard Burr(R-NC)
- Shelley Capito(R-WV)
- 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)
- Mazie Hirono(D-HI)
- 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)
- Robert Menendez(D-NJ)
- Jeff Merkley(D-OR)
- Jerry Moran(R-KS)
- Lisa Murkowski(R-AK)
- Christopher Murphy(D-CT)
- Rand Paul(R-KY)
- David Perdue(R-GA)
- 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)
- Ben Sasse(R-NE)
- Brian Schatz(D-HI)
- Rick Scott(R-FL)
- Tim Scott(R-SC)
- Jeanne Shaheen(D-NH)
- Richard Shelby(R-AL)
- Kyrsten Sinema(D-AZ)
- Tina Smith(D-MN)
- Dan Sullivan(R-AK)
- Jon Tester(D-MT)
- John Thune(R-SD)
- Thomas Tillis(R-NC)
- Patrick Toomey(R-PA)
- Mark Warner(D-VA)
- Sheldon Whitehouse(D-RI)
- Roger Wicker(R-MS)
- Todd Young(R-IN)
Voted against · 12
12 D
- Cory Booker(D-NJ)
- Sherrod Brown(D-OH)
- Maria Cantwell(D-WA)
- Kirsten Gillibrand(D-NY)
- Kamala Harris(D-CA)
- Edward Markey(D-MA)
- Patty Murray(D-WA)
- Charles Schumer(D-NY)
- Debbie Stabenow(D-MI)
- Tom Udall(D-NM)
- Chris Van Hollen(D-MD)
- Ron Wyden(D-OR)
Did not vote · 7
4 D, 2 R, 1 I
- Michael Bennet(D-CO)
- Martin Heinrich(D-NM)
- Ron Johnson(R-WI)
- Amy Klobuchar(D-MN)
- Marco Rubio(R-FL)
- Bernard Sanders(I-VT)
- Elizabeth Warren(D-MA)
Education
| Northwestern University | B.A. | 1991 |
| Northwestern University School of Law (now Pritzker School of Law) | J.D. | 2003 |
Questions & answers
- Who appointed John Fitzgerald Kness?
- President Donald J. Trump appointed John Fitzgerald Kness to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in 2020.
- Was John Fitzgerald Kness appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- John Fitzgerald Kness was appointed by President Donald J. Trump, a Republican. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was John Fitzgerald Kness's confirmation vote?
- The Senate confirmed John Fitzgerald Kness 81–12 on February 12, 2020.
- Which court is John Fitzgerald Kness on?
- John Fitzgerald Kness 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 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).