Sunil Harjani Explained

Sunil R. Harjani
Office:Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Term Start:March 20, 2024
Appointer:Joe Biden
Predecessor:Thomas M. Durkin
Office1:Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Term Start1:January 10, 2019[1]
Term End1:March 20, 2024
Predecessor1:Daniel G. Martin
Successor1:Daniel P. McLaughlin
Birth Name:Sunil Ramesh Harjani
Birth Place:Joliet, Illinois, U.S.
Education:Northwestern University (BA, JD)

Sunil Harjani (born 1974)[2] is an American lawyer who has served as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois since 2024. He previously served as a magistrate judge of the same court from 2019 to 2024.

Education

Harjani received a Bachelor of Arts from Northwestern University in 1997 and a Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law in 2000.[3]

Career

From 2000 to 2001, he was an associate at Jenner & Block LLP in Chicago. From 2001 to 2002, he served as a law clerk for Judge Suzanne B. Conlon of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. From 2002 to 2004, he went back to the same law firm and served in the same position.[3] From 2004 to 2008, he also practiced federal civil litigation as a senior counsel at the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. From 2008 to 2019, Harjani was an assistant U.S. attorney, serving as the deputy chief of the securities and commodities fraud section.[4] From 2019 to 2024, he served as a United States magistrate judge of the Northern District of Illinois.[3]

Federal judicial service

On January 10, 2024, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Harjani to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.[3] On February 1, 2024, President Biden nominated Harjani to a seat vacated by Judge Thomas M. Durkin, who assumed senior status on December 26, 2023.[5] On February 8, 2024, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[6] On March 7, 2024, his nomination was favorably reported out of committee by a 12–9 vote.[7] [8] On March 12, 2024, the United States Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 52–44 vote.[9] Later that day, his nomination was confirmed by a 53–46 vote.[10] He received his judicial commission on March 20, 2024, and was sworn in on April 2, 2024.[11]

Notes and References

  1. January 10, 2019. Sunil Harjani Sworn-in as U.S. Magistrate Judge. ilnd.uscourts.gov. March 14, 2024.
  2. Web site: Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees. United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. February 7, 2024.
  3. Web site: President Biden Names Forty-Fourth Round of Judicial Nominees. whitehouse.gov. January 10, 2024. January 10, 2024.
  4. Web site: Biden to nominate Sunil Harjani to federal bench in Chicago. Chicago Sun Times. January 10, 2023. January 10, 2023.
  5. Nominations Sent to the Senate . February 3, 2024 . The White House . Washington, D.C. .
  6. Web site: Nominations. February 7, 2024. United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Washington, D.C..
  7. Web site: Results of Executive Business Meeting – March 7, 2024. United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. March 7, 2024.
  8. Web site: March 12, 2024 . PN1404 — Sunil R. Harjani — The Judiciary . April 15, 2024.
  9. Web site: On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Sunil R. Harjani to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois). United States Senate. March 12, 2024. March 12, 2024.
  10. Web site: On the Nomination (Confirmation: Sunil R. Harjani, of Illinois, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois). United States Senate. March 12, 2024. March 12, 2024.
  11. Judge Sunil R. Harjani sworn in as U.S. District Judge. ilnd.uscourts.gov. April 2, 2024.