Franklin U. Valderrama

Franklin Ulyses Valderrama (born 1962)[1] is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Franklin U. Valderrama
Valderrama in 2022
Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Assumed office
September 23, 2020
Appointed byDonald Trump
Preceded byRubén Castillo
Associate Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County
In office
2007 – September 23, 2020
Personal details
Born
Franklin Ulyses Valderrama

1962 (age 61–62)
Panama City, Panama
EducationUniversity of Illinois at Chicago (BA)
DePaul University (JD)

Education

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Valderrama earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1985 and a Juris Doctor from the DePaul University College of Law in 1988.[1][2]

Career

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Valderrama began his career in 1988 as a staff attorney for the United States Bankruptcy Court for Northern Illinois, where he worked for a year. In 1989, he joined the Law Office of Tom Leahy, where he was an associate. In 1992, he joined the Chicago office of Landau, Omahana & Kopka, where he was an associate. Starting in 1993, he then worked at Sanchez, Daniels & Hoffman in Chicago, where his practice focused on trial litigation. He left the firm as a partner when he became a judge. He has also served as an adjunct professor at UIC John Marshall Law School, where he taught pre-trial civil litigation.[2]

State judicial service

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From 2007 to 2020, Valderrama served as an associate judge of the Cook County Circuit Court.[2] His state court service terminated when he became a federal district judge.

Federal judicial service

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On February 5, 2020, President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Valderrama to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois as part of a bipartisan package[3] of nominees which included David W. Dugan. On February 12, 2020, his nomination was sent to the Senate. President Trump nominated Valderrama to the seat vacated by Judge Rubén Castillo, who retired on September 27, 2019.[4] A hearing on his nomination before the Senate Judiciary Committee was held on June 24, 2020.[5] On July 30, 2020, his nomination was reported out of committee by a 16–6 vote.[6] On September 17, 2020, the United States Senate confirmed his nomination by a 68–26 vote, with a majority of Republicans opposed and all Democrats in favor.[7][8] He received his judicial commission on September 23, 2020.[9] He was sworn in on September 28, 2020.[10]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees: Franklin Valderrama" (PDF). Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "President Donald J. Trump Announces Judicial Nominee – The White House". trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  3. ^ "Senate Confirms 2 Ill. Judges — 1 Over Rare GOP Opposition - Law360". www.law360.com. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  4. ^ "Fifteen Nominations and Two Withdrawals Sent to the Senate". trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  5. ^ "Nominations | United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary". www.judiciary.senate.gov. June 24, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  6. ^ "Results of Executive Business Meeting – July 30, 2020, Senate Judiciary Committee" (PDF). Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  7. ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Franklin Ulyses Valderrama, of Illinois, to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois)". www.senate.gov. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  8. ^ "Senate Confirms 2 Ill. Judges — 1 Over Rare GOP Opposition - Law360". www.law360.com. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  9. ^ Franklin U. Valderrama at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  10. ^ "Judge Franklin U. Valderrama Sworn in as District Judge" (PDF). ilnd.uscourts.gov (Press release). September 28, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
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Legal offices
Preceded by Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
2020–present
Incumbent