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Thomas Kirsch
2020 - Present
4
Thomas L. Kirsch II is a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit. He was nominated to the court by President Donald Trump (R) on November 16, 2020, and confirmed by a 51-44 vote of the U.S. Senate on December 15, 2020. To see a full list of judges appointed by Donald Trump, click here.
The United States Court of Appeals for the 7th 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 7th Circuit Court, click here.
Kirsch was the United States attorney for the Northern District of Indiana from 2017 to 2020.
Judicial nominations and appointments
U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit (2020-present)
- See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump
On November 16, 2020, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Kirsch to the United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit. He was confirmed by a 51-44 vote of the U.S. Senate on December 15, 2020.[1] He received commission on December 17, 2020.[2] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.
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| Nominee Information |
| Name: Thomas L. Kirsch II |
| Court: United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 29 days after nomination. |
 Nominated: November 16, 2020
|
| ABA Rating: Unanimously well qualified
|
| Questionnaire: Questionnaire |
| Hearing: November 18, 2020
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| QFRs: QFRs (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| Reported: December 10, 2020
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| Confirmed: December 15, 2020
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| Vote: 51-44
|
Confirmation vote
The U.S. Senate confirmed Kirsch by a vote of 51-44 on December 15, 2020.[1] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.
| Kirsch confirmation vote (December 15, 2020) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Yea | Nay | No vote | ||||||
 Democratic |
3 | 42 | 1 | ||||||
 Republican |
48 | 0 | 4 | ||||||
 Independent |
0 | 2 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 51 | 44 | 5 | ||||||
Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
Kirsch had his hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on November 18, 2020.[1] The committee voted 12-10 to advance his nomination to the full Senate on December 10, 2020.[3]
Nomination
On October 21, 2020, President Donald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Kirsch to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit.[4] The president officially nominated Kirsch on November 16, 2020.[1]
Kirsch was nominated to replace Judge Amy Coney Barrett, who was expected to be confirmed to the Supreme Court of the United States on October 26, 2020.
The American Bar Association unanimously rated Kirsch well qualified for the position.[5] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.
Early life and education
Kirsch was born in 1974 in Hammond, Indiana.[6] He received his B.A. in economics and political science, graduating with highest distinction, from Indiana University in 1996. He earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1999.[4][7]
Professional career
- 2020-present: Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit
- 2017-2020: U.S. attorney, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Indiana
- 2008-2017: Partner, Winston & Strawn LLP
- 2006-2007: Counsel to the assistant attorney general, U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Legal Policy
- 2001-2008: Assistant U.S. attorney, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Indiana
- 2000-2001: Law clerk to Judge John Tinder, United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
- 1999-2000: Associate, Jenner & Block[6]
Awards and associations
Awards
- 2005: U.S. Department of Justice Director’s Award for Superior Performance
- Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers[7]
Associations
- American College of Trial Lawyers
- Chicago Inn of Court
- The Federalist Society
- Illinois State Bar Association
- Indiana State Bar Association
- Lake County Indiana Bar Association
- Seventh Circuit Bar Association[6]
About the court
| Seventh Circuit |
|---|
| Court of Appeals |
|
| 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: |
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).
The 7th 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 Court of Appeals are petitioned to the Supreme Court of the United States. Justice Brett Kavanaugh is the circuit justice for the 7th Circuit.
The United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit has appellate jurisdiction over the courts in the following districts:
- Central District of Illinois
- Northern District of Illinois
- Southern District of Illinois
- Northern District of Indiana
- Southern District of Indiana
- Eastern District of Wisconsin
- Western District of Wisconsin
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
- Search Google News for this topic
- United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit
- Biography from the Federal Judicial Center
- Biography from the U.S. Department of Justice (archived September 2020)
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Congress.gov, "PN2333 — Thomas L. Kirsch II — The Judiciary," accessed November 17, 2020
- ↑ Federal Judicial Center, "Kirsch, Thomas Lee II," accessed December 21, 2020
- ↑ Senate Judiciary Committee, "Results of Executive Business Meeting," December 10, 2020
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 WhiteHouse.gov, "President Donald J. Trump Announces Judicial Nominees," October 21, 2020
- ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III and Article IV judicial nominees," accessed November 18, 2020
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Senate Judiciary Committee, "Questionnaire for judicial nominees," accessed November 18, 2020
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 U.S. Department of Justice, "Meet the U.S. Attorney: Thomas L. Kirsch II," archived September 27, 2020
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit 2020-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 |
Thomas Parker • Elizabeth Branch • Neil Gorsuch • Amul Thapar • David C. Nye • John K. Bush • Kevin Newsom • Timothy J. Kelly • Ralph Erickson • Scott Palk • Trevor McFadden • Joan Larsen • Amy Coney Barrett • Allison Eid • Stephanos Bibas • Donald Coggins Jr. • Dabney Friedrich • Greg Katsas • Steven Grasz • Don Willett • James Ho • William L. Campbell Jr. • David Stras • Tilman E. Self III • Karen Gren Scholer • Terry A. Doughty • Claria Horn Boom • John Broomes • Rebecca Grady Jennings • Kyle Duncan • Kurt Engelhardt • Michael B. Brennan • Joel Carson • Robert Wier • Fernando Rodriguez Jr. • Annemarie Carney Axon • | ||
| 2018 |
Andrew Oldham • Amy St. Eve • Michael Scudder • John Nalbandian • Mark Bennett • Andrew Oldham • Britt Grant • Colm Connolly • Maryellen Noreika • Jill Otake • Jeffrey Beaverstock • Emily Coody Marks • Holly Lou Teeter • Julius Richardson • Charles B. Goodwin • Barry Ashe • Stan Baker • A. Marvin Quattlebaum Jr. • Terry F. Moorer • Susan Baxter • William Jung • Alan Albright • Dominic Lanza • Eric Tostrud • Charles Williams • Nancy E. Brasel • James Sweeney • Kari A. Dooley • Marilyn J. Horan • Robert Summerhays • Brett Kavanaugh • David Porter • Liles Burke • Michael Juneau • Peter Phipps • Lance Walker • Richard Sullivan • Eli Richardson • Ryan Nelson • Chad F. Kenney, Sr. • Susan Brnovich • William M. Ray, II • Jeremy Kernodle • Thomas Kleeh • J.P. Hanlon • Mark Norris • Jonathan Kobes • Michael Brown • David Counts | ||
| 2019 |
Eric Miller • Chad Readler • Eric Murphy • Neomi Rao • Paul Matey • Allison Jones Rushing • Bridget S. Bade • Roy Altman • Patrick Wyrick • Holly Brady • David Morales • Andrew Brasher • J. Campbell Barker • Rodolfo Ruiz • Daniel Domenico • Michael Truncale • Michael Park • Joseph Bianco • Raúl Arias-Marxuach • Daniel Collins • Joshua Wolson • Wendy Vitter • Kenneth Kiyul Lee • Kenneth Bell • Stephen Clark • Howard Nielson • Rodney Smith • Jean-Paul Boulee • Sarah Daggett Morrison • Rossie Alston • Pamela A. Barker • Corey Maze • Greg Guidry • Matthew Kacsmaryk • Allen Winsor • Carl Nichols • James Cain, Jr. • Tom Barber • J. Nicholas Ranjan • Clifton L. Corker • Peter Phipps • Daniel Bress • Damon Leichty • Wendy W. Berger • Peter Welte • Michael Liburdi • William Shaw Stickman • Mark Pittman • Karin J. Immergut • Jason Pulliam • Brantley Starr • Brian Buescher • James Wesley Hendrix • Timothy Reif • Martha Pacold • Sean Jordan • Mary Rowland • John M. Younge • Jeff Brown • Ada Brown • Steven Grimberg • Stephanie A. Gallagher • Steven Seeger • Stephanie Haines • Mary McElroy • David J. Novak • Frank W. Volk • Charles Eskridge • Rachel Kovner • Justin Walker • T. Kent Wetherell • Danielle Hunsaker • Lee Rudofsky • Jennifer Philpott Wilson • William Nardini • Steven Menashi • Robert J. Luck • Eric Komitee • Douglas Cole • John Sinatra • Sarah Pitlyk • Barbara Lagoa • Richard Myers II • Sherri Lydon • Patrick Bumatay • R. Austin Huffaker • Miller Baker • Anuraag Singhal • Karen Marston • Jodi Dishman • Mary Kay Vyskocil • Matthew McFarland • John Gallagher • Bernard Jones • Kea Riggs • Robert J. Colville • Stephanie Dawkins Davis • Gary R. Brown • David Barlow • Lewis Liman | ||
| 2020 |
Lawrence VanDyke • Daniel Traynor • John Kness • Joshua Kindred • Philip Halpern • Silvia Carreno-Coll • Scott Rash • John Heil • Anna Manasco • John L. Badalamenti • Drew Tipton • Andrew Brasher • Cory Wilson • Scott Hardy • David Joseph • Matthew Schelp • John Cronan • Justin Walker • Brett H. Ludwig • Christy Wiegand • Thomas Cullen • Diane Gujarati • Stanley Blumenfeld • Mark Scarsi • John Holcomb • Stephen P. McGlynn • Todd Robinson • Hala Jarbou • David Dugan • Iain D. Johnston • Franklin U. Valderrama • John Hinderaker • Roderick Young • Michael Newman • Aileen Cannon • James Knepp • Kathryn Kimball Mizelle • Benjamin Beaton • Kristi Johnson • Toby Crouse • Philip Calabrese • Taylor McNeel • Thomas Kirsch • Stephen Vaden • Katherine Crytzer • Fernando Aenlle-Rocha • Charles Atchley • Joseph Dawson | ||
| 2025 |
Whitney Hermandorfer • Joshua Divine • Cristian M. Stevens • Zachary Bluestone • Emil Bove • Edward Artau • Kyle Dudek | ||
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
