Mary Rowland
2019 - Present
4
Mary M. Rowland is a judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. On June 18, 2018, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Rowland to a seat on this court. The U.S. Senate confirmed Rowland on July 31, 2019, by voice vote.[1][2] She received commission on August 20, 2019.[3] To see a full list of judges appointed by Donald Trump, click here.
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois is one of 94 U.S. District Courts. They are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the court, click here. To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.
Rowland was a federal magistrate judge for the Northern District of Illinois from 2012 to 2019. She was appointed to the position on October 1, 2012.[4]
Judicial nominations and appointments
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (2019-present)
- See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump
On June 7, 2018, President Donald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Rowland to a seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.[5] The U.S. Senate officially received the nomination on June 18, 2018, and confirmed Rowland on July 31, 2019, by voice vote.[1][2]
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| Nominee Information |
| Name: Mary Rowland |
| Court: United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 408 days after nomination. |
 Nominated: June 18, 2018
|
| ABA Rating: Unanimously Well Qualified
|
| Questionnaire: Questionnaire |
| Hearing: August 22, 2018
|
| QFRs: QFRs (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| Reported: October 11, 2018 (first) / June 20, 2019 (second)
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| Confirmed: July 31, 2019
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| Vote: Voice vote
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Confirmation vote
The U.S. Senate confirmed Rowland on July 31, 2019, by voice vote.[2]
Change in Senate rules
Rowland was confirmed to a U.S. District Court under a new precedent the Senate established in 2019.
On April 3, 2019, the U.S. Senate voted 51-48 in favor of a change to chamber precedent lowering the maximum time allowed for debate on executive nominees to posts below the Cabinet level and on nominees to district court judgeships from 30 hours after invoking cloture to two.[6]
The change was passed under a procedure, often referred to as the nuclear option, that requires 51 votes rather than 60.[7]
It was the third use of the nuclear option in Senate history. In 2013, it was used to eliminate the 60-vote threshold to confirm presidential nominees, except those to the Supreme Court. In 2017, it was used to eliminate the 60-vote threshold required to confirm Supreme Court nominees.[8] For more, see Filibuster and reconciliation in the United States Congress.
Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Rowland's nomination on August 22, 2018. On October 11, 2018, the committee voted 16-5 to advance Rowland's nomination to the full Senate.[9] The committee voted a second time, 14-8, to advance her nomination to the full Senate on June 20, 2019.[10]
Nomination
President Donald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Rowland on June 7, 2018, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.[5] Her nomination was received in the U.S. Senate on June 18, 2018. She was nominated to succeed Judge Amy J. St. Eve, who was elevated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit in May 2018.[1]
At the sine die adjournment of the 115th Congress on January 3, 2019, the Senate returned Rowland's nomination to the president.[1][11]
Trump announced his intent to renominate Rowland on April 8, 2019.[12] The second nomination was officially sent to the Senate on May 21, 2019.[13]
Sens. Dick Durbin (D) and Tammy Duckworth (D) of Illinois supported Rowland's nomination. Durbin and Duckworth said, referring to Rowland, Steven Seeger, and Martha Pacold, "We are pleased that the President has nominated these three Illinoisans. They have the qualifications, integrity, and judgment to serve with distinction as district court judges in the Northern District of Illinois. We appreciate the Administration’s willingness to work with us and with our nonpartisan screening committee to reach consensus on nominees who will serve the people of Illinois well. We look forward to guiding these nominations through the Senate."[14]
The American Bar Association unanimously rated Rowland well qualified for the position.[15] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, magistrate (2012-2019)
Rowland was a federal magistrate judge for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. She was appointed to the position on October 1, 2012.[4] She left her position as a magistrate judge after her elevation to an Article III position on the same court.
Early life and education
Rowland was born in 1961 in Akron, Ohio. She earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan in 1984 and her J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School in 1988.[5][16]
Professional career
- 2012-present: United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
- 2019-present: Article III judge
- 2012-2019: Federal magistrate judge
- 2000-2012: Partner, Hughes, Socol, Piers, Resnick & Dym, Ltd. in Chicago, Illinois
- 1990-2000: Federal Defender Program, Chicago office
- 1995-2000: Chief appellate attorney
- 1990-1995: Assistant federal defender
- 1988-1990: Law clerk to Judge Julian Cook, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan[5][16]
Associations
- 2010-present: Member, Chicago Bar Association
- 2010-present: Member, Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago
- 2010-present: Member, 7th Circuit Bar Association
- 2009-present: Member, Federal Bar Association, Chicago Chapter
- 2014-2015: Member, American Bar Association
- 2004-2010: Member, Uptown People's Law Center
- 2000-2012: Member, Illinois State Bar Association
- 1995-2000: Member, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers[16]
About the court
| Northern District of Illinois |
|---|
| Seventh Circuit |
|
| Judgeships |
| Posts: 23 |
| Judges: 23 |
| Vacancies: 0 |
| Judges |
| Chief: Rebecca Pallmeyer |
| Active judges: Jorge L. Alonso, John Robert Blakey, Edmond E. Chang, Sharon Coleman, Jeffrey Cummings, Jeremy Daniel, Robert Dow, Sara Lee Ellis, Sunil Harjani, LaShonda A. Hunt, Lindsay Jenkins, Iain David Johnston, Virginia Kendall, John Kness, Nancy Maldonado, Martha Pacold, Rebecca Pallmeyer, Mary Rowland, Steven Seeger, Manish Shah, John Tharp Jr., Franklin Ulyses Valderrama, Andrea R. Wood Senior judges: |
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois is one of 94 United States district courts. The district operates out of Chicago and Rockford, Illinois. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit located in the same courthouse as the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago.
The Northern District of Illinois has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.
There are two court divisions, each covering the following counties:
The Eastern Division, covering Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, Lake County, LaSalle, and Will counties
The Western Division, covering Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, Lee, McHenry, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside, and Winnebago counties
To read opinions published by this court, click here.
The federal nomination process
Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:
- The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
- The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
- The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.
- As part of this process, the committee sends a blue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.
- After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.
- If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
- If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.
- The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.
- If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
- If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.
See also
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
- United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Biography from the Federal Judicial Center
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
- United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit
- White House press release announcing intent to renominate Rowland (2019)
- White House press release announcing intent to nominate Rowland (2018)
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Congress.gov, "PN2148 — Mary M. Rowland — The Judiciary," accessed April 9, 2019
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Congress.gov, "PN781 — Mary M. Rowland — The Judiciary," accessed August 1, 2019
- ↑ Federal Judicial Center, "Rowland, Mary Margaret," accessed August 21, 2019
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Third Branch News, "Judicial Milestones," November 1, 2012 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "mag" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 WhiteHouse.gov, "President Donald J. Trump Announces Fifteenth Wave of Judicial Nominees, Fourteenth Wave of United States Attorney Nominees, and Ninth Wave of United States Marshal Nominees," June 7, 2018
- ↑ The Hill, "GOP triggers 'nuclear option' to speed up Trump picks," April 3, 2019
- ↑ Axios, "Senate GOP invokes 'nuclear option' to speed up confirmations of Trump nominees," April 3, 2019
- ↑ NBC News, "McConnell to use 'nuclear option' to confirm lower-level nominees," April 2, 2019
- ↑ U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, "Results of the Executive Business Meeting," October 11, 2018
- ↑ U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, "Results of Executive Business Meeting," June 20, 2019
- ↑ Under Senate Rule XXXI, paragraph 6 of the Standing Rules of the Senate, pending nominations are returned to the president if the Senate adjourns sine die or recesses for more than 30 days. Congressional Research Service, "Senate Consideration of Presidential Nominations: Committee and Floor Procedure," April 11, 2017
- ↑ White House, "President Donald J. Trump Announces Judicial Nominations," April 8, 2019
- ↑ White House, "Twelve Nominations Sent to the Senate," May 21, 2019
- ↑ Dick Durbin, United States Senator, Illinois, "Durbin, Duckworth Statement On Nomination Of Martha Pacold, Mary Rowland & Steven Seeger To Serve As U.S. District Judges For The Northern District Of Illinois," June 7, 2018
- ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III and Article IV judicial nominees, 115th Congress," accessed October 11, 2018
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, "Questionnaire for judicial nominees: Mary Rowland," accessed April 9, 2019
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Federal courts:
Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Central District of Illinois, Northern District of Illinois, Southern District of Illinois • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Central District of Illinois, Northern District of Illinois, Southern District of Illinois
State courts:
Illinois Supreme Court • Illinois Appellate Court • Illinois Circuit Court
State resources:
Courts in Illinois • Illinois judicial elections • Judicial selection in Illinois
