Thomas Michael Durkin
Appointed by President Barack Obama in 2012 and confirmed by voice vote, Thomas Michael Durkin is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He earned a law degree from DePaul University College of Law in 1978. Sources ↓
- Born
- 1953 · age 73
- Appointed by
- Barack Obama, 2012
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Education
- University of Illinois 1975 · DePaul College of Law 1978
- Succeeded
- Wayne R. Andersen
- Succeeded by
- Sunil Ramesh Harjani
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Northern District of Illinois succeeded Wayne R. Andersen | Obama (D) | 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
| University of Illinois | B.S. | 1975 |
| DePaul University College of Law | J.D. | 1978 |
Judicial Record
Caseload & case types
In our data, Durkin was assigned 4,642 district-court cases (1992–2026). Median time from filing to termination: 166 days across 3,767 closed cases.
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 159 of Durkin’s decisions reviewed on the merits by the U.S. courts of appeals in our data, 125 were affirmed, 20 reversed or vacated, and 14 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 Thomas Michael Durkin?
- President Barack Obama appointed Thomas Michael Durkin to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in 2012.
- Was Thomas Michael Durkin appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Thomas Michael Durkin was appointed by President Barack Obama, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Thomas Michael Durkin's confirmation vote?
- Thomas Michael Durkin was confirmed by voice vote on December 17, 2012. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court is Thomas Michael Durkin on?
- Thomas Michael Durkin 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: United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
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13 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).