James Sweeney (Indiana)
2018 - Present
6
James Russell Sweeney II is a judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. He was nominated to the court by President Donald Trump (R) on November 1, 2017, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on August 28, 2018, by a voice vote.[1][2][3] To see a full list of judges appointed by Donald Trump, click here.
The United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana is one of 94 U.S. District Courts. They are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the court, click here.
Prior to his judicial appointment, Sweeney was a partner at the Indianapolis, Indiana-based office of Barnes and Thornburg LLP.[2]
Judicial nominations and appointments
United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
- See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump
Sweeney was nominated to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana by President Donald Trump (R) on November 1, 2017. The U.S. Senate confirmed Sweeney on August 28, 2018, by a voice vote.[3] He received commission on September 13, 2018.[1] To read more about the federal nomination process, click here.
 |
| Nominee Information |
| Name: James R. Sweeney II |
| Court: United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 300 days after nomination. |
 Nominated: November 1, 2017
|
| ABA Rating: Unanimously Well Qualified
|
| Questionnaire: Questionnaire |
| Hearing: January 10, 2018
|
| QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| Reported: February 8, 2018
|
| Confirmed: August 28, 2018
|
Confirmation vote
The U.S. Senate confirmed Sweeney on August 28, 2018, by voice vote.[3]
Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
Sweeney had his hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on January 10, 2018. The committee voted to advance Sweeney's nomination to the full Senate on February 8, 2018.[3]
Nomination
Sweeney was nominated to replace Judge Sarah Barker, who assumed senior status on June 30, 2014.
The American Bar Association unanimously rated Sweeney well qualified for the position.[4] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.
Bildung
Sweeney earned his bachelor's degree with merit from the United States Naval Academy in 1983. He earned his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Notre Dame Law School in 1996. During his legal studies, Sweeney served as editor-in-chief of the Notre Dame Law Review.[2][5]
Military service
Upon earning his bachelor's degree from the United States Naval Academy, Sweeney accepted a commission in the U.S. Marine Corps and served on active duty from 1983 to 1992. Sweeney retired from the Marine Corps with the rank of colonel. He served in the Marine Corps Reserve from 1992 to 2013.[2][5][6]
Professional career
- 2018-present: Judge, United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
- 1999-2018: Private practice, Indianapolis, Ind.
- 1997-1998: Law clerk, Hon. James L. Ryan, United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit
- 1996-1997: Law clerk, Hon. John Tinder, United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
- 1992-2013: Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve
- 1983-1993: Captain, U.S. Marine Corps[1]
About the court
| Southern District of Indiana |
|---|
| Seventh Circuit |
|
| Judgeships |
| Posts: 5 |
| Judges: 4 |
| Vacancies: 1 |
| Judges |
| Chief: Tanya Walton Pratt |
| Active judges: Matthew Brookman, James Patrick Hanlon, Tanya Walton Pratt, James R. Sweeney II Senior judges: |
The United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana is one of 94 United States district courts. It was created in 1928 by an act of Congress that split Indiana into two separate districts. The district has courthouses in Indianapolis, Terre Haute, Evenasville, and New Albany, Indiana. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit based in Chicago, Illinois, at the Everett M. Dirksen Federal Courthouse and Building.
The Southern District of Indiana has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.
There are four court divisions, each covering the following counties:
The Indianapolis Division, covering Bartholomew, Boone, Brown, Clinton, Decatur, Delaware, Fayette, Fountain, Franklin, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Henry, Howard, Johnson, Madison, Marion, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Randolph, Rush, Shelby, Tipton, Union and Wayne counties.[7]
The Terre Haute Division, covering Clay, Greene, Knox, Owen, Parke, Putnam, Sullivan, Vermillion and Vigo counties.[7]
The Evansville Division, covering Daviess, Dubois, Gibson, Martin, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh and Warrick counties.[7]
The New Albany Division, covering Clark, Crawford, Dearborn, Floyd, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Lawrence, Ohio, Orange, Ripley, Scott, Switzerland and Washington counties.[7]
To read opinions published by this court, click here.
The federal nomination process
Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:
- The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
- The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
- The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.
- As part of this process, the committee sends a blue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.
- After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.
- If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
- If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.
- The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.
- If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
- If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.
See also
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
- United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
- United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit
- Biography from the Federal Judicial Center
- White House release of Sweeney's nomination
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Federal Judicial Center, "Sweeney, James Russell II," accessed September 14, 2018
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 The White House, "President Donald J. Trump Announces Nomination of Indiana Attorney James Sweeney to Fill Judicial Emergency," November 1, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 United States Congress, "PN 1198 — James R. Sweeney II — The Judiciary," accessed April 22, 2020
- ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III and Article IV judicial nominees," accessed April 22, 2020
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Barnes and Thornburg LLP, "James R. Sweeney II, Partner," accessed November 2, 2017
- ↑ Federal Judicial Center, "Sweeney, James Russell II," accessed August 29, 2018
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 U.S. Marshals Service-Southern District of Indiana
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana 2018-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 |
Thomas Parker • Elizabeth Branch • Neil Gorsuch • Amul Thapar • David C. Nye • John K. Bush • Kevin Newsom • Timothy J. Kelly • Ralph Erickson • Scott Palk • Trevor McFadden • Joan Larsen • Amy Coney Barrett • Allison Eid • Stephanos Bibas • Donald Coggins Jr. • Dabney Friedrich • Greg Katsas • Steven Grasz • Don Willett • James Ho • William L. Campbell Jr. • David Stras • Tilman E. Self III • Karen Gren Scholer • Terry A. Doughty • Claria Horn Boom • John Broomes • Rebecca Grady Jennings • Kyle Duncan • Kurt Engelhardt • Michael B. Brennan • Joel Carson • Robert Wier • Fernando Rodriguez Jr. • Annemarie Carney Axon • | ||
| 2018 |
Andrew Oldham • Amy St. Eve • Michael Scudder • John Nalbandian • Mark Bennett • Andrew Oldham • Britt Grant • Colm Connolly • Maryellen Noreika • Jill Otake • Jeffrey Beaverstock • Emily Coody Marks • Holly Lou Teeter • Julius Richardson • Charles B. Goodwin • Barry Ashe • Stan Baker • A. Marvin Quattlebaum Jr. • Terry F. Moorer • Susan Baxter • William Jung • Alan Albright • Dominic Lanza • Eric Tostrud • Charles Williams • Nancy E. Brasel • James Sweeney • Kari A. Dooley • Marilyn J. Horan • Robert Summerhays • Brett Kavanaugh • David Porter • Liles Burke • Michael Juneau • Peter Phipps • Lance Walker • Richard Sullivan • Eli Richardson • Ryan Nelson • Chad F. Kenney, Sr. • Susan Brnovich • William M. Ray, II • Jeremy Kernodle • Thomas Kleeh • J.P. Hanlon • Mark Norris • Jonathan Kobes • Michael Brown • David Counts | ||
| 2019 |
Eric Miller • Chad Readler • Eric Murphy • Neomi Rao • Paul Matey • Allison Jones Rushing • Bridget S. Bade • Roy Altman • Patrick Wyrick • Holly Brady • David Morales • Andrew Brasher • J. Campbell Barker • Rodolfo Ruiz • Daniel Domenico • Michael Truncale • Michael Park • Joseph Bianco • Raúl Arias-Marxuach • Daniel Collins • Joshua Wolson • Wendy Vitter • Kenneth Kiyul Lee • Kenneth Bell • Stephen Clark • Howard Nielson • Rodney Smith • Jean-Paul Boulee • Sarah Daggett Morrison • Rossie Alston • Pamela A. Barker • Corey Maze • Greg Guidry • Matthew Kacsmaryk • Allen Winsor • Carl Nichols • James Cain, Jr. • Tom Barber • J. Nicholas Ranjan • Clifton L. Corker • Peter Phipps • Daniel Bress • Damon Leichty • Wendy W. Berger • Peter Welte • Michael Liburdi • William Shaw Stickman • Mark Pittman • Karin J. Immergut • Jason Pulliam • Brantley Starr • Brian Buescher • James Wesley Hendrix • Timothy Reif • Martha Pacold • Sean Jordan • Mary Rowland • John M. Younge • Jeff Brown • Ada Brown • Steven Grimberg • Stephanie A. Gallagher • Steven Seeger • Stephanie Haines • Mary McElroy • David J. Novak • Frank W. Volk • Charles Eskridge • Rachel Kovner • Justin Walker • T. Kent Wetherell • Danielle Hunsaker • Lee Rudofsky • Jennifer Philpott Wilson • William Nardini • Steven Menashi • Robert J. Luck • Eric Komitee • Douglas Cole • John Sinatra • Sarah Pitlyk • Barbara Lagoa • Richard Myers II • Sherri Lydon • Patrick Bumatay • R. Austin Huffaker • Miller Baker • Anuraag Singhal • Karen Marston • Jodi Dishman • Mary Kay Vyskocil • Matthew McFarland • John Gallagher • Bernard Jones • Kea Riggs • Robert J. Colville • Stephanie Dawkins Davis • Gary R. Brown • David Barlow • Lewis Liman | ||
| 2020 |
Lawrence VanDyke • Daniel Traynor • John Kness • Joshua Kindred • Philip Halpern • Silvia Carreno-Coll • Scott Rash • John Heil • Anna Manasco • John L. Badalamenti • Drew Tipton • Andrew Brasher • Cory Wilson • Scott Hardy • David Joseph • Matthew Schelp • John Cronan • Justin Walker • Brett H. Ludwig • Christy Wiegand • Thomas Cullen • Diane Gujarati • Stanley Blumenfeld • Mark Scarsi • John Holcomb • Stephen P. McGlynn • Todd Robinson • Hala Jarbou • David Dugan • Iain D. Johnston • Franklin U. Valderrama • John Hinderaker • Roderick Young • Michael Newman • Aileen Cannon • James Knepp • Kathryn Kimball Mizelle • Benjamin Beaton • Kristi Johnson • Toby Crouse • Philip Calabrese • Taylor McNeel • Thomas Kirsch • Stephen Vaden • Katherine Crytzer • Fernando Aenlle-Rocha • Charles Atchley • Joseph Dawson | ||
Federal courts:
Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Northern District of Indiana, Southern District of Indiana • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Northern District of Indiana, Southern District of Indiana
State courts:
Indiana Supreme Court • Indiana Court of Appeals • Indiana Superior Courts • Indiana Circuit Courts • Indiana Small Claims Courts • St. Joseph County Probate Court, Indiana • Indiana Tax Court • Indiana Municipal Courts
State resources:
Courts in Indiana • Indiana judicial elections • Judicial selection in Indiana
