Biden names Indian-origin judge to Illinois District Court

New York, Jan 12:  President Joe Biden has announced his intent to nominate Indian-American judge Sunil R. Harjani for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Harjani is among six individuals named by Biden to federal district courts -- "all of whom are extraordinarily qualified, experienced, and devoted to the rule of law and our Constitution", the White House said in a statement.

This will be Biden’s 44th round of nominees for federal judicial positions, bringing the number of announced federal judicial nominees to 215.

"These choices also continue to fulfill the President’s promise to ensure that the nation’s courts reflect the diversity that is one of our greatest assets as a country - both in terms of personal and professional backgrounds," the White House said on Wednesday.

Harjani has been a United States Magistrate for the Northern District of Illinois since 2019. He previously served as an Assistant Attorney and Deputy Chief of the Securities and Commodities Fraud Section in the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois from 2008 to 2019. He also practiced federal civil litigation as a senior counsel at the US Securities & Exchange Commission from 2004 to 2008 and as an associate at Jenner & Block LLP in Chicago from 2000 to 2001 and 2002 to 2004.

Harjani served as a law clerk for Judge Suzanne B Conlon on the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois from 2001 to 2002. He received his J.D., cum laude, from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law in 2000 and his B A from Northwestern University in 1997.