WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — President Biden nominated Judge Sunil Harjani to a Federal District Court Judge vacancy in the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division. Harjani is among six judges nationwide nominated by Biden, bringing the total number of announced federal judicial nominees to 215.
Currently serving as a United States Magistrate Judge for the Northern District of Illinois since 2019, Judge Harjani has a robust legal background. Previously, he held the position of Assistant U.S. Attorney and Deputy Chief of the Securities and Commodities Fraud Section in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois from 2008 to 2019. He also practiced federal civil litigation as a senior counsel at the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission and as an associate at Jenner & Block LLP in Chicago. Harjani served as a law clerk for Judge Suzanne B. Conlon on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois from 2001 to 2002.
U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) expressed their support for Harjani’s nomination in a joint statement. The Senators, who established a screening committee in August 2023, recommended six candidates, including Judge Harjani, for President Biden’s consideration. The nomination will now undergo scrutiny by the Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Durbin, before proceeding to a full Senate vote.
Beyond his legal career, Harjani has contributed to legal education as an adjunct professor at Northwestern Law School, teaching white-collar criminal practice and federal civil discovery classes. Additionally, he serves as an advisory board member for the South Asian Bar Association of Chicago.
