The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (in case citations, N.D. Ill.) is the federal trial court with jurisdiction over the northern counties of Illinois. It is one of the busiest federal trial courts in the United States, with famous cases including those of Al Capone and the Chicago Eight.

Appeals from the Northern District of Illinois are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).

The United States attorney for the district, representing the United States in litigation in the court, is Andrew S. Boutros since April 7, 2025.

Organization

The court's jurisdiction is split into an eastern division, including Cook, DuPage, McHenry, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, LaSalle, Lake, and Will counties, with its sessions held in Chicago and Wheaton; and a western division, including Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside, and Winnebago counties, with its sessions held in Freeport and Rockford.

History

thumb|left|The [[Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago, one of four locations where the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois holds sessions.]] The United States District Court for the District of Illinois was established by a statute passed by the United States Congress on March 3, 1819, . The act established a single office for a judge to preside over the court. Initially, the court was not within any existing judicial circuit, and appeals from the court were taken directly to the United States Supreme Court. In 1837, Congress created the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, placing it in Chicago, Illinois and giving it jurisdiction over the District of Illinois, .

Current judges

<onlyinclude>

:

</onlyinclude>

Former judges

Chief judges

Succession of seats

<!--

-->

List of U.S. attorneys since 1857

  • Augustus M. Herrington, 1857–1858
  • Henry S. Fitch, 1858–1861
  • Edwin C. Larned, 1861
  • Joseph O. Glover, 1869
  • Mark Bangs, 1875–1879
  • Joseph B. Seake, 1879–1884
  • Richard S. Tuthill, 1884–1886
  • William G. Ewing, 1886–1890
  • Thomas E. Milchrist, 1891–1893
  • Sherwood Dixon, 1893–1894
  • John C. Black, 1895–1899
  • Solomon H. Bethea, 1899–1905
  • Charles B. Morrison, 1905–1906
  • Edwin W. Sims, 1906–1911
  • James Herbert Wilkerson, 1911–1914
  • Charles F. Clyne, 1914–1922
  • Edwin A. Olson, 1922–1927
  • George E. Q. Johnson, 1927–1931
  • Dwight H. Green, 1931–1935
  • Michael L. Igoe, 1935–1938
  • William Joseph Campbell, 1938–1940
  • J. Albert Woll, 1940–1947
  • Otto Kerner Jr., 1947–1954
  • Irwin N. Cohen, 1954
  • Robert Tieken, 1954–1961
  • James P. O'Brien, 1961–1963
  • Frank E. McDonald, 1963–1964
  • Edward Hanrahan, 1964–1968
  • Tom Foran, 1968–1970
  • William J. Bauer, 1970–1971
  • James R. Thompson, 1971–1975
  • Samuel K. Skinner, 1975–1977
  • Thomas P. Sullivan, 1977–1981
  • Gregory C. Jones, 1981
  • Dan K. Webb, 1981–1985
  • Anton R. Valukas, 1985–1989
  • Ira A. Raphaelson, 1989–1990
  • Fred Foreman, 1990–1993
  • Michael J. Shepard, 1993
  • Jim Burns, 1993–1997
  • Scott R. Lassar, 1997–2001
  • Patrick Fitzgerald, 2001–2012
  • Gary S. Shapiro, 2012–2013
  • Zachary T. Fardon, 2013–2017
  • Joel R. Levin, 2017
  • John R. Lausch Jr., 2017–2023
  • Morris Pasqual, 2023–2025
  • Andrew S. Boutros, 2025-

See also

  • Courts of Illinois
  • List of current United States district judges
  • List of United States federal courthouses in Illinois

References

  • United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Official Website
  • Office of Special Counsel, Northern District of Illinois