Iain D. Johnston

Iain David Johnston[1] (born 1965)[2] is a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and a former United States Magistrate Judge of the same court.

Iain D. Johnston
Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Incumbent
Assumed office September 23, 2020
Appointed by	Donald Trump
Preceded by	Frederick J. Kapala
Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
In office May 3, 2013 – September 23, 2020
Preceded by	P. Michael Mahoney
Succeeded by	vacant
Personal details
Born	Iain David Johnston 1965 (age 55–56) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Education	Rockford University (BA) UIC John Marshall Law School (JD)

Education

Johnston earned his Bachelor of Science, cum laude, from Rockford University and his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from UIC John Marshall Law School.[3]

Legal and academic career

Johnston served as a law clerk to Judge Philip Godfrey Reinhard of the Illinois Second District Appellate Court and then the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He was a unit supervisor for the Office of the Illinois Attorney General and in private practice at Altheimer & Gray, Holland & Knight, and Johnston Greene. He also serves as an adjunct professor at UIC John Marshall Law School.[3]

Federal judicial service

Magistrate judge tenure

Johnston served as a United States Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, a position he was appointed to on May 3, 2013, and left in 2020 upon becoming a district judge.[4]

District court service

On February 5, 2020, President Trump announced his intent to nominate Johnston to serve as a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. On February 12, 2020, his nomination was sent to the Senate.[5] President Trump nominated Johnston to the seat vacated by Judge Frederick J. Kapala, who took senior status on May 10, 2019. A hearing on his nomination before the Senate Judiciary Committee was held on June 24, 2020.[6] On July 30, 2020, his nomination was reported out of committee by a 17–5 vote.[7] On September 16, 2020, the full United States Senate voted 81–15 to invoke cloture on his nomination. On September 17, 2020, the Senate voted 77–14 to confirm his nomination.[8] He received his judicial commission on September 23, 2020.

Membership

He was a member of the Federalist Society from 1995 to 1998.[2]

References

1. Voruganti, Harsh (April 10, 2020). "Judge Iain Johnston – Nominee to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois". The Vetting Room. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
2. United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees: Iain Johnston
3. "President Donald J. Trump Announces Judicial Nominee" White House, February 5, 2020 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
4. "United States Magistrate Judge P. Michael Mahoney will Leave the Bench on May 1, 2014" (PDF). Public Information Office. United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. January 28, 2014. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
5. "Fifteen Nominations and Two Withdrawals Sent to the Senate". The White House. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
6. United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Nominations for June 24, 2020
7. Results of Executive Business Meeting – July 30, 2020, Senate Judiciary Committee
8. "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Iain D. Johnston, of Illinois, to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois) United States Senate, September 17, 2020

External links

• Iain D. Johnston at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.