John Z. Lee (United States Court of Appeals judge)

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John Z. Lee
Image of John Z. Lee

Nonpartisan

United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit
Tenure

2022 - Present

Years in position

2

Prior offices
United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

Education

Bachelor's

Harvard University, 1989

Law

Harvard Law School, 1992

Contact

Personal LinkedIn 

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John Zihun Lee is a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit. He was nominated on April 25, 2022, by President Joe Biden (D), and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on September 7, 2022, by a vote of 50-44.[1][2] Click here for more information on Lee's federal judicial nomination.

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, click here.

Prior to his confirmation, Lee was a federal judge with the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He was nominated to the court by President Barack Obama (D) in 2011.[3]

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit (2022-present)

See also: Federal judges nominated by Joe Biden

On April 25, 2022, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Lee to the United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit.[1] He was confirmed by a 50-44 vote of the U.S. Senate on September 7, 2022.[2] Lee received commission on September 9, 2022.[4] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.

Nomination Tracker
Fedbadgesmall.png
Nominee Information
Name: John Z. Lee
Court: United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit
Progress
Confirmed 135 days after nomination.
ApprovedANominated: April 25, 2022
ApprovedAABA Rating: Well Qualified
Questionnaire: Questionnaire
ApprovedAHearing: May 11, 2022
QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more)
ApprovedAReported: June 9, 2022 
ApprovedAConfirmed: September 7, 2022
ApprovedAVote: 50-44


Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Lee by a vote of 50-44 on September 7, 2022.[2] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.

Lee confirmation vote (September 7, 2022)
Party Yea Nay No vote
Electiondot.png Democratic 46 0 3
Ends.png Republican 2 44 3
Grey.png Independent 2 0 0
Total 50 44 6

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Lee's nomination on May 11, 2022. The committee voted to advance Lee's nomination to the full Senate on June 9, 2022.[2]

Nomination

Lee ​was nominated on April 25, 2022, by President Joe Biden (D) to replace Judge Diane Wood.[1]

The American Bar Association rated Lee well qualified.[5] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.

United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (2012-2022)

See also: Federal judges nominated by Barack Obama

Lee was nominated to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois by President Obama (D) on November 10, 2011.[6] He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 7, 2012, by voice vote and received commission on May 8.[4][7] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.

Confirmation vote

The United States Senate confirmed John Z. Lee to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois with a voice vote on May 7, 2012.[7]

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Lee's nomination on January 26, 2012.[8] Committee Questionnaire Click here to access his judicial questionnaire and here to access his Questions for the Record.

Nomination

President Barack Obama (D) nominated Lee to succeed Judge David Coar. Coar assumed senior status on August 12, 2009, and fully retired on December 31, 2010.[9][3]

Lee was rated qualified by a substantial majority and not qualified by a minority of the American Bar Association.

Biography

Early life and education

Lee was born in 1968 in Aachen, Germany.[10] He earned an A.B., magna cum laude, from Harvard College in 1989, and a J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 1992.[11]

Professional career

Awards and associations

Awards

  • 2016: Korean American of the Year Award, Korean American Association of Chicago
  • 2013:
    • "A Distinguished American," ICAS Liberty Award, Institute for Corean-American Studies
    • Asian Pacific American Community Service Award, Cook County State's Attorney's Office[10]

Associations

  • American Bar Association
  • Asian American Bar Association of Greater Chicago
  • Asian Human Services of Chicago
  • Coordinated Advice and Referral Program for Legal Services
  • Federal Bar Association
  • Illinois State Bar Association
  • National Asian Pacific American Bar Association[10]

About the courts

7th Circuit

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, Joel Flaum, 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).

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.

Northern District of Illinois

Northern District of Illinois
Seventh Circuit
NDIL.gif
Judgeships
Posts: 23
Judges: 23
Vacancies: 0
Judges
Chief: Virginia Kendall
Active judges: Georgia Alexakis, 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, Martha Pacold, April Perry, Mary Rowland, Steven Seeger, Manish Shah, John Tharp Jr., Franklin Ulyses Valderrama, Andrea R. Wood

Senior judges:
Marvin Aspen, Elaine Bucklo, Suzanne Conlon, Thomas M. Durkin, Robert Gettleman, Joan Gottschall, Ronald Guzman, Frederick Kapala, Matthew Kennelly, Charles Kocoras, Joan Lefkow, George Marovich, Charles Norgle, Rebecca Pallmeyer, Philip Reinhard, James Zagel


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.


Noteworthy cases

Soda company wins trademark lawsuit (2014)

Coca-Cola successfully fended off a trademark claim made by the Blue Spring Water company. Blue Spring Water, bottlers of a water product called Naturally Zero, claimed that Coca-Cola violated its trademark of the word “Zero” for bottled drink products. The Blue Spring used the trademark until 2004, when it abandoned its Naturally Zero product. In 2010, however, Blue Spring wished to revive the bottled water label, but Coca-Cola had at least five “Zero” branded products on the market. Blue Spring did not re-launch Naturally Zero.

Judge John Z. Lee found for Coca-Cola, stating that the “Zero” mark was a descriptor of the product rather than a protectable trademark. As such, Blue Spring Water had no claim against Coca-Cola for violation of a trademark. Further, Judge Lee said that, even if the mark were protectable, Blue Spring Water was aware that Coca-Cola was using the word “Zero” on its products since 2004 and did not take any action to stop the mega-company’s use of the mark until nearly a decade later. Therefore, their ability to seek judicial intervention was limited by their willful inaction.

Articles:

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 WhiteHouse.gov, "Nominations and Withdrawals Sent to the Senate," April 25, 2022
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Congress.gov, “PN1965 — John Z. Lee — The Judiciary,” accessed June 9, 2022
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 White House, "Presidential Nominations and Withdrawal Sent to the Senate," November 10, 2011 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "nomshort" defined multiple times with different content
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Federal Judicial Center, "Lee, John Zihun," accessed April 25, 2022
  5. ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III and Article IV Judicial Nominees: 117th Congress," accessed May 11, 2022
  6. ↑ White House, "President Obama Nominates Four to Serve on the US District Court Bench," November 10, 2011
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Senate Judiciary Committee, "Report on the Activities of the Senate Judiciary Committee, 112th Congress"
  8. ↑ Congress.gov, "PN1116 — John Z. Lee — The Judiciary," accessed April 25, 2022
  9. ↑ Federal Judicial Center, "Coar, David H.," accessed April 25, 2022
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Senate Judiciary Committee, "Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees," accessed May 19, 2022
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 The White House, "President Biden Names Sixteenth Round of Judicial Nominees," April 13, 2022

Political offices
Preceded by
- 		United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit
2022-Present		 Succeeded by
-
Preceded by
- 		United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
2012-2022		 Succeeded by
-



Illinois courts

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

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