Sara L. Ellis

Sara Lee Ellis (born December 8, 1969) is a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Sara L. Ellis
Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Incumbent
Assumed office October 8, 2013
Appointed by	Barack Obama
Preceded by	Joan B. Gottschall
Personal details
Born	December 8, 1969 London, Ontario, Canada
Education	Indiana University (B.A.) Loyola University Chicago School of Law (J.D.)

Early life

Ellis was born December 8, 1969, in London, Ontario, Canada,[1] to Jamaican-born parents. She became a naturalized citizen of the United States when she was 15 years old.[2][3]

Education and career

She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1991 from Indiana University. She received a Juris Doctor in 1994 from Loyola University Chicago School of Law. She worked as a staff attorney at the Federal Defender Program in Chicago from 1994 to 1999. From 2000 to 2004, she worked at Stetler, Duffy & Rotert, Ltd., a white-collar criminal defense law firm. From 2004 to 2008, she served as Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Chicago Department of Law, handling claims for injunctive relief and civil rights lawsuits. From 2008 to 2013, she served as counsel at the law firm of Schiff Hardin LLP in Chicago, where she was a member of the litigation and white-collar crime practice groups.[4][3]

Federal judicial service

On May 6, 2013, President Obama nominated Ellis to be a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, to the seat vacated by Judge Joan B. Gottschall, who took senior status on April 23, 2012.[4] She received a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on June 19, 2013, and her nomination was reported to the floor of the Senate on July 18, 2013, by voice vote. The Senate confirmed her nomination on October 7, 2013, by voice vote. She received her commission on October 8, 2013.[3]

References

1. "Senate Judiciary Committee Nomination Questionnaire" (PDF).
2. "Judge asks new Syrian-American to lead Pledge of Allegiance". FOX6Now.com. February 9, 2017. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
3. "Ellis, Sara Lee – Federal Judicial Center". www.fjc.gov.
4. "President Obama Announces Intent to Nominate Three to Serve on the United States District Court". 30 April 2013.

External links

• Sara L. Ellis at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
• Sara Lee Ellis at Ballotpedia