Senate Confirms Judge John Lee to Seventh Circuit

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Senate confirmed Judge John Lee to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement regarding Judge Lee’s confirmation:

“Judge Lee is an embodiment of the American dream. Born to Korean parents and immigrating to Chicago at the age of four, he has dedicated his career to public service and the evenhanded administration of justice. When he was confirmed by voice vote to the Northern District of Illinois, Judge Lee became the first Korean American to serve as an Article III judge in Illinois. Today, he makes history again as the first Asian American judge to serve on the Seventh Circuit.”

Judge John Z. Lee has served as a U.S. District Court Judge for the Northern District of Illinois since 2012. From 1999 to 2012, Judge Lee was an associate and then partner at Freeborn & Peters LLP in Chicago. From 1996 to 1999, Judge Lee was an associate at Grippo & Elden LLC, and from 1994 to 1996, he was an associate at Mayer Brown LLP. He also served as a trial attorney in the Environmental and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice from 1992 to 1994. Judge Lee received his A.B., magna cum laude, from Harvard College in 1989, and his J.D. from Harvard Law School, cum laude, in 1992.

In June, Judge Lee advanced out of the Judiciary Committee with a bipartisan vote of 12-8-2.

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