Martha Pacold

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Martha Pacold
Image of Martha Pacold

Nonpartisan

United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Tenure

2019 - Present

Years in position

5

Education

Bachelor's

Indiana University, 1999

Law

University of Chicago Law School, 2002

Personal
Birthplace
Richmond, Va.
Contact

Official website 

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Martha Maria Pacold is a judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. On June 11, 2018, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Pacold to a seat on this court.[1] The U.S. Senate confirmed Pacold on July 31, 2019, on an 87-3 vote.[2] She received commission on August 19, 2019.[3] To see a full list of judges appointed by Donald Trump, click here.

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois is one of 94 U.S. District Courts. They are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the court, click here.

Pacold was the deputy general counsel of the U.S. Department of the Treasury from 2017 to 2019.[4]

Pacold was included on President Donald Trump’s (R) list of 20 potential U.S. Supreme Court nominees released on September 9, 2020.[5] President Trump (R) nominated Amy Coney Barrett to the seat on September 26, 2020. For more information on the 2020 Supreme Court vacancy created by the death of former Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on September 18, 2020, click here.

Judicial nominations and appointments

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (2018)

See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump

On June 11, 2018, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Pacold to a seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.[1] The U.S. Senate confirmed Pacold on July 31, 2019, on an 87-3 vote.[2] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.

Nomination Tracker
Fedbadgesmall.png
Nominee Information
Name: Martha Pacold
Court: United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Progress
Confirmed 415 days after nomination.
ApprovedANominated: June 11, 2018
ApprovedAABA Rating: Unanimously Qualified
Questionnaire: Questionnaire
ApprovedAHearing: August 22, 2018
QFRs: QFRs (Hover over QFRs to read more)
ApprovedAReported: October 11, 2018 (first) / June 20, 2019 (second) 
ApprovedAConfirmed: July 31, 2019
ApprovedAVote: 87-3

Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Pacold on July 31, 2019, on a vote of 87-3.[2] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.

Pacold confirmation vote (July 31, 2019)
Party Yea Nay No vote
Electiondot.png Democratic 35 3 7
Ends.png Republican 51 0 2
Grey.png Independent 1 0 1
Total 87 3 10
Change in Senate rules
See also:
Filibuster and reconciliation in the United States Congress
Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump
United States federal courts

Pacold was confirmed to a U.S. District Court under a new precedent the Senate established.

On April 3, 2019, the U.S. Senate voted 51-48 in favor of a change to chamber precedent lowering the maximum time allowed for debate on executive nominees to posts below the Cabinet level and on nominees to district court judgeships from 30 hours after invoking cloture to two.[6]

The change was passed under a procedure, often referred to as the nuclear option, that requires 51 votes rather than 60.[7]

It was the third use of the nuclear option in Senate history. In 2013, it was used to eliminate the 60-vote threshold to confirm presidential nominees, except those to the Supreme Court. In 2017, it was used to eliminate the 60-vote threshold required to confirm Supreme Court nominees.[8] For more, see Filibuster and reconciliation in the United States Congress.


Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on Pacold's nomination on August 22, 2018. The committee voted 18-3 to advance Pacold's nomination to the full Senate on October 11, 2018.[9] The committee voted a second time, 18-4, to advance her nomination to the full Senate on June 20, 2019.[10]

Nomination

Pacold was nominated by President Donald Trump (R) on June 11, 2018, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. She was nominated to succeed Judge John Darrah, who assumed senior status on March 1, 2017, and served as a senior judge until his death on March 23, 2017.[1]

At the sine die adjournment of the 115th Congress on January 3, 2019, the Senate returned Pacold's nomination to the president.[1][11]

Trump announced his intent to renominate Pacold on April 8, 2019.[12] The second nomination was officially sent to the Senate on May 21, 2019.[13]

Sens. Dick Durbin (D) and Tammy Duckworth (D) of Illinois supported Pacold's nomination. Durbin and Duckworth said, referring to Pacold, Mary Rowland, and Steven Seeger, "We are pleased that the President has nominated these three Illinoisans. They have the qualifications, integrity, and judgment to serve with distinction as district court judges in the Northern District of Illinois. We appreciate the Administration’s willingness to work with us and with our nonpartisan screening committee to reach consensus on nominees who will serve the people of Illinois well. We look forward to guiding these nominations through the Senate."[14]

The American Bar Association unanimously rated Pacold qualified for the position.[15] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.

Early life and education

Pacold was born in 1979 in Richmond, Virginia. She earned her bachelor's degree, with highest distinction, from Indiana University in 1999. She received her J.D., with honors, from the University of Chicago Law School, where she was Order of the Coif, in 2002. During her legal studies, Pacold served as editor-in-chief of the University of Chicago Law Review.[4][16]

Professional career

Associations

  • 2016-2017: American Bar Association
  • 2015-2016, 2003-2004: Chicago Bar Association
  • 2015-2016, 2012-2013: Federal Bar Association
  • 2008-2009, 2003-2004: Illinois State Bar Association[4]


Possible Donald Trump nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court

2020

See also: Supreme Court vacancy, 2020

On September 18, 2020, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died, leaving a vacancy on the Supreme Court. The following day, President Donald Trump (R) said he would nominate a woman to replace Ginsburg.[17] On September 26, 2020, President Trump nominated Amy Coney Barrett to fill the vacancy.[18]

Pacold was among the women President Trump had previously identified as a potential Supreme Court nominee before nominating Amy Coney Barrett. President Trump released four lists of potential U.S. Supreme Court nominees; two in 2016, one in 2017, and one in 2020. Click here for more information on the vacancy and nomination process.

About the court

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.


See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Congress.gov, "PN2119 — Martha Maria Pacold — The Judiciary," accessed April 9, 2019
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Congress.gov, "PN780 — Martha Maria Pacold — The Judiciary," accessed August 1, 2019
  3. ↑ Federal Judicial Center, "Pacold, Martha Maria," accessed August 20, 2019
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, "Questionnaire for judicial nominees: Martha Pacold," accessed April 9, 2019
  5. ↑ White House, "Additions to President Donald J. Trump’s Supreme Court List," September 9, 2020
  6. ↑ The Hill, "GOP triggers 'nuclear option' to speed up Trump picks," April 3, 2019
  7. ↑ Axios, "Senate GOP invokes 'nuclear option' to speed up confirmations of Trump nominees," April 3, 2019
  8. ↑ NBC News, "McConnell to use 'nuclear option' to confirm lower-level nominees," April 2, 2019
  9. ↑ U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, "Results of the Executive Business Meeting," October 11, 2018
  10. ↑ U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, "Results of Executive Business Meeting," June 20, 2019
  11. ↑ 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. Congressional Research Service, "Senate Consideration of Presidential Nominations: Committee and Floor Procedure," April 11, 2017
  12. ↑ White House, "President Donald J. Trump Announces Judicial Nominations," April 8, 2019
  13. ↑ White House, "Twelve Nominations Sent to the Senate," May 21, 2019
  14. ↑ Dick Durbin, United States Senator, Illinois, "Durbin, Duckworth Statement On Nomination Of Martha Pacold, Mary Rowland & Steven Seeger To Serve As U.S. District Judges For The Northern District Of Illinois," June 7, 2018
  15. ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III and Article IV judicial nominees, 115th Congress," accessed October 11, 2018
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 WhiteHouse.gov, "President Donald J. Trump Announces Fifteenth Wave of Judicial Nominees, Fourteenth Wave of United States Attorney Nominees, and Ninth Wave of United States Marshal Nominees," June 7, 2018
  17. ↑ The Hill, "Trump expects to nominate woman to replace Ginsburg next week," September 19, 2020
  18. ↑ ‘’CNN’’, “Trump to announce Supreme Court nominee,” September 26, 2020

Political offices
Preceded by
- 		United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
2019-Present		 Succeeded by
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