Nancy Lee Maldonado (born November 28, 1975) is an American lawyer from

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

who has served as a

United States circuit judge In the United States, federal judges are judges who serve on courts established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. They include the chief justice and the associate justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, the circuit judges of the U.S. Cou ...

of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit since 2024. She previously served as a United States district judge of the

United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (in case citations, N.D. Ill.) is the federal trial-level court with jurisdiction over the northern counties of Illinois. Appeals from the Northern District of Illinois ar ...

from 2022 to 2024.

Early life and education

Maldonado was born on November 28, 1975, in

Skokie, Illinois Skokie (; formerly Niles Center) is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, neighboring the City of Chicago's northern border. Its population, according to the 2020 census, was 67,824. Skokie lies approximately north of Chicago's do ...

. She received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

, ''

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

'', from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

in 1997 and a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from Columbia Law School in 2001.

Career

Maldonado previously served as a

law clerk A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person, generally someone who provides direct counsel and assistance to a lawyer or judge by researching issues and drafting legal opinions for cases before the court. Judicial clerks often play significant ...

for Judge Rubén Castillo of the

from 2001 to 2003. In 2003, she joined the law firm of Miner, Barnhill & Galland in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

as an associate until 2009 when she was elevated to partner in 2010. She went on to work as partner until 2022 when she was appointed as a district judge.

Federal judicial service

District court service

In December 2021, Maldonado was recommended to the president by Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth. On April 13, 2022, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Maldonado to serve as a United States District Judge of the

. On April 25, 2022, her nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated Maldonado to the seat vacated by Judge

Matthew Kennelly Matthew F. Kennelly (born October 6, 1956) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Education and career Kennelly was born in 1956 in Marion, Indiana. He graduated fro ...

, who assumed

senior status Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the Federal judiciary of the United States, federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of servi ...

on October 7, 2021. On May 11, 2022, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee. On June 9, 2022, her nomination was reported out of committee by a 13–9 vote. On July 19, 2022, the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

invoked cloture on her nomination by a 53–41 vote. She was confirmed on the same day by a 53–45 vote. She received her judicial commission on August 10, 2022. She was sworn in on October 3, 2022. She became the first Hispanic woman to serve as a federal judge on the Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Her service as a district judge was terminated on July 11, 2024, when she was elevated to the court of appeals.

Court of appeals service

On February 21, 2024, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Maldonado to serve as a circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. On February 27, 2024, her nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated Maldonado to the seat being vacated by Judge Ilana Rovner, who announced her intent to assume

upon confirmation of a successor. On March 20, 2024, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee. During her confirmation hearing, she was questioned by Republican senators over her case backlog, as, with 125 motions having been pending for more than six months without a ruling, Maldonado held one of the largest case backlogs of any federal trial court judge in the nation. On April 18, 2024, her nomination was reported out of committee by an 11–10 party-line vote. On June 20, 2024, the Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 43–27 vote. On July 8, 2024, her nomination was confirmed by a 47–43 vote, with Senators Joe Manchin and

Kyrsten Sinema Kyrsten Lea Sinema (; born July 12, 1976) is an American politician and former social worker serving as the senior United States senator from Arizona since January 2019. A former member of the Democratic Party, Sinema became an independent in ...

voting against confirmation. She received her judicial commission on July 11, 2024. She became the first Hispanic judge to serve on the Seventh Circuit.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maldonado, Nancy L. 1975 births Living people 21st-century American judges 21st-century American lawyers 21st-century American women lawyers 21st-century American women judges Columbia Law School alumni Harvard College alumni Hispanic and Latino American judges Hispanic and Latino American lawyers Illinois lawyers Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit Judges of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois People from Skokie, Illinois United States court of appeals judges appointed by Joe Biden United States district court judges appointed by Joe Biden