John Z. Lee
John Zihun Lee (born March 30, 1968)[1] is a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He is a nominee to serve as a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
John Z. Lee | |
|---|---|
| Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois | |
| Assumed office May 8, 2012 | |
| Appointed by | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | David H. Coar |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Zihun Lee March 30, 1968 Aachen, West Germany (now Germany) |
| Education | Harvard University (AB, JD) |
Biography
John Z. Lee was born in Aachen, Germany.[1] He received his Artium Baccalaureus Degree from Harvard College in 1989. He received his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 1992. He first worked as a trial attorney in the Environmental and Natural Resources Division of the United States Department of Justice. He worked as an associate of Mayer Brown from 1994 to 1996 and Grippo & Elden LLC from 1996 to 1999. He was a partner at Freeborn & Peters LLP, where he handled complex federal civil litigation.[2][3]
Federal judicial service
On November 10, 2011, President Barack Obama nominated Lee to be a District Judge for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.[2] He would replace Judge David H. Coar who took senior status and has since retired. He received his hearing by the Senate Judiciary Committee on January 26, 2012, and his nomination was reported to the floor on February 16, 2012, by voice vote, with Senator Mike Lee recording the only no vote. On May 7, 2012, his nomination was confirmed by voice vote. He received his commission on May 8, 2012.[3]
Notable rulings
In July 2018, Lee, sitting by designation, wrote for the unanimous panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Doe No. 55 v. Madison Metropolitan School District when it found that the Madison Metropolitan School District was not liable for child sex abuse of a student by its security guard because the school's principal had not had actual knowledge of the abuse.[4][5]
On May 3, 2020, Lee ruled that Governor J. B. Pritzker's Stay-at-home order during the COVID-19 pandemic in Illinois was constitutional, after an Evangelical church sought an injunction against the order to continue worship services.[6]
Nomination to court of appeals
On April 13, 2022, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Lee to serve as a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.[7] On April 25, 2022, his nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated Lee to the seat to be vacated by Judge Diane Wood, who will assume senior status upon confirmation of a successor.[8] His nomination is pending before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
References
- "Senate Judiciary Committee Questionnaire" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
- "President Obama Nominates Four to Serve on the US District Court Bench". whitehouse.gov. November 10, 2011. Archived from the original on January 19, 2017. Retrieved May 2, 2022 – via National Archives.
- "Lee, John Zihun – Federal Judicial Center". www.fjc.gov. Archived from the original on August 11, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
- Note, Recent Case: Seventh Circuit Holds School Not Liable in Case of Child Sex Abuse, 132 Harv. L. Rev. 1550 (2019).
- Doe No. 55 v. Madison Metropolitan School District, 897 F.3d 819 (7th Cir. 2018).
- Pope, Ben (May 3, 2020). "U.S. district judge rules Pritzker's stay-at-home order constitutional". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on May 21, 2020. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
- "President Biden Names Sixteenth Round of Judicial Nominees" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. April 3, 2022. Archived from the original on April 13, 2022. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. - "Nominations and Withdrawals Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. April 25, 2022. Archived from the original on April 29, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2022. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
External links
- John Z. Lee at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- John Z. Lee at Ballotpedia