U.S. Bankruptcy Judge LaShonda Hunt has worn many hats over the course of her three decade long legal career. She is now hoping to have a lifetime appointment as the capstone of her legal career.

Background

A native of Chicago, Hunt grew up in public housing and attended Chicago public schools before receiving a Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1992 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School in 1995.

After graduation, Hunt worked as an associate at Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP and, in 1998, joined the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit as a staff attorney. In 2001, she left to clerk for Judge William Hibbler on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, subsequent to which Hunt joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois.

In 2006, Hunt joined Just the Beginning Foundation, which seeks to encourage interest in legal careers among those from disadvantaged communities and then joined the energy company Exelon as assistant general counsel, moving to subsidiary Corn Ed in 2009.

In 2010, Hunt returned to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, staying until 2015, when she became chief legal counsel for the Illinois Department of Corrections. In 2017, Hunt was appointed to be a U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Northern District of Illinois. She currently serves in that role.

Hunt is also a past president of the Black Women Lawyers Association. See Legal Scene of 518 New Lawyers Have Seen, Legal Monitor Worldwide, May 9, 2016.

History of the Seat

Hunt has been nominated for a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. This seat opened on October 4, 2022, when Judge Charles Norgle took senior status.

Like fellow Northern District nominees Nancy Maldonado, Lindsay Jenkins, and Jeffrey Cummings, Hunt was recommended for the federal bench by Illinois senators in December 2021.

Legal Career

Before she became a bankruptcy judge, Hunt held a variety of legal positions, including in private practice, in house, and in government. However, the largest chunk of her career has been spent in the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois. Among the cases she handled there, Hunt represented a warden of a Leavenworth, Kansas prison in defending against a federal habeas corpus action. See Moore v. Olson, 368 F.3d 757 (7th Cir. 2004). After a district court judge found that it had jurisdiction over the Kansas-based warden and that venue was proper, and subsequently ruled against the petition, the prisoner appealed. See id. On appeal, Hunt did not reraise a venue challenge to the district court’s decision, which the Seventh Circuit found was now waived. See id. at 760. The Court, however, affirmed on the merits of the petition. See id. at 761.

Hunt also argued before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in defense of a Board of Immigration Appeals decision denying a Polish native’s petition to reopen her immigration status after finding that the plaintiff had failed to comply with a voluntary departure. See Zmijewska v. Gonzales, 426 F.3d 99 (2d Cir. 2005). The court remanded the case to the BIA for further analysis. See id. at 104.

Jurisprudence

Hunt has served as a U.S. Bankruptcy Judge since her appointment in 2017. In this role, she presides over bankruptcy cases as a trial judge, with her rulings subject to appeal to the district courts and courts of appeal.

Among her decisions as a bankruptcy judge, Hunt rejected a proposed payment scheme by a debtor in bankruptcy that would allow her to pay her attorneys at the same priority level as her car loan to Ford. See In re Williams, 583 B.R. 453 (N.D. Ill. Bankr. 2018). In another opinion, Hunt declined to find that a loan of $80,000 taken out by a debtor was dischargeable in bankruptcy and that the lender failed to meet her burden to show that the loan was taken out through misrepresentation. See In re Wielogosinski, 628 B.R. 547 (N.D. Ill. Bankr. 2021).

Writings

In 2021, Hunt authored an article discussing her tips for effective advocacy from trial attorneys. See Hon. LaShonda Hunt, Dicta, Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: Observations on Trial Practice from the Other Side of the Bench, 40-10 ABIJ 26 (Oct. 2021). Among the tips in the article, which include emphasizing one’s theory of the case and effective use of discovery, Hunt describes the trajectory of her own legal career, noting that she is a “jack-of-all trades who knows a little about a lot.” See id.

Overall Assessment

Having cut her teeth in many different areas of law, Hunt would enter the federal bench with a deep understanding of civil law, although without requisite criminal experience. However, given her ability to thrive on the bankruptcy court without ever having practiced bankruptcy law, Hunt could reasonably argue that she has the skills to successfully learn and administer criminal law as well as she can on the civil side.

A former colleague of President Barack Obama at a civil rights firm in Chicago, U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Cummings has been nominated for a federal judgeship in Illinois.

Background

Cummings received a Bachelor of Arts with High Honors from Michigan State University in 1984 and a J.D. cum laude from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law in 1987. Cummings then clerked for Judge Ann Claire Williams on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (Williams would later be elevated to the Seventh Circuit).

Subsequently, Cummings joined the Chicago based civil rights firm Miner, Barnhill & Galland, P.C., where President Obama served as an associate from 1993 to 1996 and as of counsel from 1996 to his senate election in 2004. Cummings served as co-managing partner of the firm until his appointment as magistrate judge in 2019.

History of the Seat

Cummings has been nominated for a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. This seat opened by operation of law on December 5, 2022, when Judge Robert Dow was appointed by Chief Justice John Roberts as counselor to the chief justice.

Like fellow Northern District nominees Nancy Maldonado, Lindsay Jenkins, and LaShonda Hunt, Cummings was recommended for the federal bench by Illinois senators in December 2021.

Legal Career

Cummings has spent virtually his entire career before joining the bench in civil rights work at Miner, Barnhill & Galland, P.C. He primarily worked in employment discrimination cases, most notably securing a $630,000 settlement to a class of black workers with Area Erectors, Inc., who alleged termination based on race. See Area Erectors, Inc. to Pay $630,000 to Class of Black Workers in Race Discrimination Lawsuit, Targeted News Service, May 29, 2009.

Cummings has also served as a civil defense attorney, defending a beer distribution business against a discrimination suit brought by white contract drivers, who argued that they were fired because the owner came under pressure from the black community to hire more black drivers. See Baker v. Elmwood Distributing Inc., 940 F.2d 1013 (7th Cir. 1991). The Seventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal of the suit, finding that, under Supreme Court precedent, discriminatory discharge is not actionable under 42 U.S.C. Sec. 1981, the suit they sued under. See id. at 1017.

Outside the employment context, Cummings represented plaintiffs in a suit alleging that Chicago’s aldermanic districts discriminated against the voting rights of Hispanics. See Political Action Conference v. Daley, 976 F.2d 335 (7th Cir. 1992). The suit was dismissed by Judge Judge James Moran and the Seventh Circuit affirmed. See id. Alongside Obama, Cummings also represented the voter registration organization ACORN in suing the State of Illinois in seeking to have it comply with the National Registration Act of 1993, which the Seventh Circuit ended up ruling unconstitutionally infringes upon state prerogatives. See ACORN v. Edgar, 56 F.3d 791 (7th Cir. 1995).

Cummings has also been a defendant, being sued by an ex-partner who alleged Miner, Barnhill & Garland failed to pay her post-departure compensation to which she was entitled. See Willenson v. Miner, Barnhill & Garland P.C., 998 N.E.2d 984 (Ill. App. 3d 2011). The suit ended with judgment in favor of the firm defendants.

Jurisprudence

Cummings has served as a U.S. Magistrate Judge since his appointment in 2019. In this role, he presides over arraignments, bail hearings, and non-dispositive motions. He also handles civil cases by consent of the parties.

Among his rulings as U.S. Magistrate Judge, Cummings ruled that Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker would not be required to sit for a deposition as part of a discrimination case against his 2018 campaign. See Pritzker Won’t Have to Sit for Deposition, The Capitol Fax Blog, Feb. 25, 2020. Cummings also ordered the pretrial release of Jim Bob Elliott, an Aurora based member of the far right group the Proud Boys, who was arrested for his participation of the January 6th Capitol breach. See Jon Seidel and Tom Schuba, Aurora Man Charged in ⅙ Capitol riot Riot: Up to a 20-year Prison Term Possible if Aurora Man is Convicted, Chicago Daily Herald, Dec. 22, 2021.

Notably, Cummings recommended that Kroger receive an injunction barring Grubhub from using its new logo, which Kroger alleged was similar to the logo of its brand HomeChef. See Celeste Bott, Ill. Judge Recommends Injunction in Kroger, Grubhub TM Row, Law360, Apr. 12, 2022. U.S. District Judge Charles Norgle declined the recommendation, finding that the plaintiffs had not established a likelihood of success on the merits. See Jasmin Jackson, Kroger Loses Bid to Block Grubhub from Using Logo, Law360, May 26, 2022.

Political Activity

Cummings has frequently donated to Democrats over the course of his career, including to President Barack Obama and Sen. Tammy Duckworth.

Overall Assessment

A litigator with three decades of experience and a sitting magistrate judge, Cummings can claim the experience and the knowledge to become a successful trial judge. While he is sure to draw opposition for his work as a civil rights litigator, Cummings is also likely to, with the support of Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Richard Durbin, sail to confirmation over such opposition.