District Judge John F. Kness was appointed to the Northern District of Illinois by President Donald J. Trump in 2020.
Judge Kness was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969. Before law school, he served as a patrol officer for the Oak Park Police Department. After law school, he clerked for Judge William H. Pryor, Jr. of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Illinois from 2009 to 2016, with stints in the National Security and Cybercrimes, Narcotics, and General Crimes Sections. From 2016 to 2020, he served as General Counsel of the College of DuPage, overseeing all legal matters at the second-largest institution of higher learning in Illinois.
Education
- Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, J.D., cum laude, 2003
- Northwestern University, B.A., cum laude, 1991
Career
- General Counsel, College of DuPage (2016–2020)
- Assistant U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Illinois (2009–2016)
- Law Clerk, Hon. William H. Pryor Jr., U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
- Patrol Officer, Oak Park Police Department (prior to law school)