Who appointed Joseph S. Van Bokkelen?

President George W. Bush appointed Joseph S. Van Bokkelen to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana in 2007.

Was Joseph S. Van Bokkelen appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?

Joseph S. Van Bokkelen was appointed by President George W. Bush, a Republican. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.

What was Joseph S. Van Bokkelen's confirmation vote?

Joseph S. Van Bokkelen was confirmed by voice vote on June 28, 2007. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.

Northern District of Indiana / Appointed 2007 / Senior status since 2017

Joseph S. Van Bokkelen

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

Appointed by President George W. Bush in 2007 and confirmed by voice vote, Joseph S. Van Bokkelen is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana. He earned a law degree from Indiana University School of Law -- Bloomington (now Maurer School of Law) in 1969. Sources ↓

Born: 1943 · age 83
Appointed by: George W. Bush, 2007
Confirmed: by voice vote
Education: Indiana 1966 · Indiana Law -- Bloomington (now Maurer School of Law) 1969
Succeeded: Rodolfo Lozano
Succeeded by: Holly Ann Brady

Federal judicial service

Year	Court	Appointed by	Vote
2007	Northern District of Indiana succeeded Rodolfo Lozano	G.W. Bush (R)	Voice vote

Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own. A voice vote means the chamber approved aloud. No senator-by-senator tally is recorded.

Confirmation vote

Voice vote

The Senate approved this confirmation aloud, with no senator-by-senator tally recorded. Recorded roll-call votes begin in 1989.

Education

Indiana University	B.A.	1966
Indiana University School of Law -- Bloomington (now Maurer School of Law)	J.D.	1969

Judicial Record

Caseload & case types

In our data, Bokkelen was assigned 2,036 district-court cases (1997–2025). Median time from filing to termination: 254 days across 2,036 closed cases.

Civil rights17%

Other civil matters15%

Labor & ERISA13%

Personal-injury torts12%

Prisoner & habeas11%

Other federal statutes8%

Other24%

Case assignment is from CourtListener’s PACER-derived docket records: a partial sample, not a complete caseload, reflecting the judge last assigned each case. How we count.

On appeal

Of 114 of Bokkelen’s decisions reviewed on the merits by the U.S. courts of appeals in our data, 92 were affirmed, 17 reversed or vacated, and 5 affirmed in part and reversed in part. This is a historical count of appellate outcomes for cases we could match, not a judgment of the judge, and not a complete record. How we count.

Questions & answers

Who appointed Joseph S. Van Bokkelen?: President George W. Bush appointed Joseph S. Van Bokkelen to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana in 2007.
Was Joseph S. Van Bokkelen appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?: Joseph S. Van Bokkelen was appointed by President George W. Bush, a Republican. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
What was Joseph S. Van Bokkelen's confirmation vote?: Joseph S. Van Bokkelen was confirmed by voice vote on June 28, 2007. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
Which court is Joseph S. Van Bokkelen on?: Joseph S. Van Bokkelen is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana.

Sources

Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.

How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources

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19 years on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).