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Joshua Kolar

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Joshua Kolar

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Nonpartisan

United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit
Tenure

2024 - Present

Years in position

1

Predecessor
Prior offices
United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana

Education

Bachelor's

Northwestern University, 1999

Law

Northwestern University Law School, 2003


Joshua Kolar is a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. He was nominated to the court by President Joe Biden (D) on July 27, 2023, and confirmed by the United States Senate on January 30, 2024, by a vote of 66-25.[1][2][3][4] Kolar was one of 235 Article III judges nominated by President Joe Biden (D) and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. To see a full list of judges appointed by Joe Biden, click here.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit is one of 13 U.S. courts of appeal. They are the intermediate appellate courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the court, click here.

Prior to joining the court, Kolar was a federal magistrate judge for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana.

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (2024-present)

See also: Federal judges nominated by Joe Biden

On July 27, 2023, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Kolar to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.[3] Kolar received commission on January 31, 2024.[4] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.

Nomination Tracker
Fedbadgesmall.png
Nominee Information
Name: Joshua Kolar
Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
Progress
Confirmed 187 days after nomination.
ApprovedANominated: July 27, 2023
ApprovedAABA Rating: Well Qualified
Questionnaire: Questionnaire
ApprovedAHearing: September 6, 2023
Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript
QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more)
ApprovedAReported: September 28, 2023, January 18, 2023 (second) 
ApprovedAConfirmed: January 30, 2024
ApprovedAVote: 66-25


Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Kolar by a vote of 66-25 on January 30, 2024.[1] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.

Kolar confirmation vote (January 30, 2024)
Party Yea Nay No vote
Electiondot.png Democratic 46 0 2
Ends.png Republican 17 25 7
Grey.png Independent 3 0 0
Total 66[5] 25 9

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Kolar's nomination on September 6, 2023. Kolar was reported to the full Senate on September 28, 2023, after a 16-5 committee vote.[3] After his renomination, Kolar was again reported to the full Senate on January 18, 2023, after a 16-5 committee vote.[6]

Nomination

On July 27, 2023, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Kolar to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Kolar's nomination was returned to the president at the sine die adjournment of the U.S. Senate on January 3, 2024.[7] The president renominated Kolar on January 8, 2024.[1]

Kolar was nominated to replace Judge Michael Kanne, whose service ended on June 16, 2022, upon his death.[8]

The American Bar Association (ABA) rated Kolar well qualified.[9] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.

Biography

Education

Kolar earned a bachelor's degree from Northwestern University in 1999 and a law degree from Northwestern University School of Law in 2003.[4]

Professional career

About the court

Seventh Circuit
Court of Appeals
US-CourtOfAppeals-7thCircuit-Seal.png
Judgeships
Posts: 11
Judges: 11
Vacancies: 0
Judges
Chief: Diane Sykes
Active judges: Michael B. Brennan, Frank Easterbrook, Candace Jackson-Akiwumi, Thomas L. Kirsch II, Joshua Kolar, John Z. Lee, Nancy Maldonado, Doris Pryor, Michael Scudder, Amy St. Eve, Diane Sykes

Senior judges:
William Bauer, David Hamilton, Daniel Manion, Kenneth Ripple, Ilana Rovner, Diane Wood


The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit is a federal appellate court with appellate jurisdiction. It hears appeals from all of the circuit courts within its jurisdiction and its rulings may be appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States.

Appeals are heard in the Everett M. Dirksen Federal Building in downtown Chicago.

Three judges of the Seventh Circuit went on to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. Sherman Minton was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1949 by Harry Truman (D), John Paul Stevens was appointed in 1975 by Gerald Ford (R), and Amy Coney Barrett was appointed in 2020 by Donald Trump (R).

United States Court of Appeals for the 7th CircuitUnited States District Court for the Western District of WisconsinUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of WisconsinUnited States District Court for the Northern District of IllinoisUnited States District Court for the Central District of IllinoisUnited States District Court for the Southern District of IllinoisUnited States District Court for the Northern District of IndianaUnited States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
Map of the Seventh Circuit. Click on a district to find out more about it.


The Seventh Circuit has appellate jurisdiction over cases heard in one of its subsidiary districts. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law. Appeals of rulings by the Seventh Circuit are petitioned to the Supreme Court of the United States. Justice Amy Coney Barrett is the circuit justice for the Seventh Circuit.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit has appellate jurisdiction over the courts in the following districts:

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

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Congress.gov, PN1246 — Joshua Paul Kolar — The Judiciary," accessed January 8, 2024
  2. ↑ The White House, "Nominations Sent to the Senate," January 8, 2024
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Congress.gov, "PN905 — Joshua Paul Kolar — The Judiciary," accessed July 28, 2023 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "cong" defined multiple times with different content
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 The Federal Judicial Center, "Kolar, Joshua Paul," accessed January 30, 2024
  5. ↑ Note: The bolded number reflects the largest number.
  6. ↑ Senate Judiciary Committee, "Results of Executive Business Meeting – January 18, 2024," January 19, 2023
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. ↑ Federal Judicial Center, "Kanne, Michael Stephen," accessed June 22, 2022
  9. ↑ [https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/government_affairs_office/webratingchart-118.pdf American Bar Association, "STANDING COMMITTEE ONTHE FEDERAL JUDICIARY," accessed September 5, 2023]

Political offices
Preceded by
Michael Kanne 		United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit
2024-Present		 Succeeded by
-
Preceded by
- 		United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana
2019-2024		 Succeeded by
-


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Indiana courts

Federal courts:

Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Northern District of Indiana, Southern District of Indiana • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Northern District of Indiana, Southern District of Indiana

State courts:

Indiana Supreme Court • Indiana Court of Appeals • Indiana Tax Court • Indiana Superior Courts • Indiana Circuit Courts • Indiana City Courts • Indiana County Courts • Indiana Municipal Courts • Indiana Small Claims Courts • St. Joseph County Probate Court • Indiana Town Courts

State resources:

Courts in Indiana • Indiana judicial elections • Judicial selection in Indiana

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