James D. Peterson

Nonpartisan

United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin

Tenure

2014 - Present

Years in position

11

Education

Bachelor's

University of Wisconsin, 1979

Law

University of Wisconsin Law School, 1998

Graduate

University of Wisconsin, 1986

Personal

Birthplace

Lake Charles, LA

James D. Peterson is thechief judge of theUnited States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin. He first joined the court in 2014 after a nomination from PresidentBarack Obama. He has served as the court'schief judge since 2017.

Early life and education

A native ofLake Charles, Louisiana, Peterson earned his bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees from the University of Wisconsin in 1979, 1984, and 1986 respectively. He went on to earn hisJ.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1998.^[1]

Professional career

• 2014 - Present: Judge,United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin

• 2017 - Present: Chief judge

• 1999-2014: Private practice,Madison, Wis.
• 1998-1999: Law clerk, Hon. David G. Deininger,Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV
• 1994-1995: Lecturer, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Communication Arts
• 1986-1993: Assistant Professor, University of Notre Dame, Department of Film, Television and Theatre

Judicial career

Western District of Wisconsin

Nomination Tracker
Nominee Information
Name: James D. Peterson
Court:United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin
Progress
Confirmed 182 days after nomination.
ANominated: November 7, 2013
AABA Rating:Unanimously Well Qualified
Questionnaire:Questionnaire
AHearing: January 8, 2014
QFRs:QFRs(Hover over QFRs to read more)
AReported: February 6, 2014
AConfirmed: May 8, 2014
AVote: 70-24
AReturned: January 3, 2014

Peterson was first nominated by PresidentBarack Obama on November 7, 2013, to a seat on theUnited States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin vacated by JudgeJohn Shabaz. TheAmerican Bar Association rated PetersonUnanimously Well Qualified for the nomination. Under provisions of Rule XXXI, paragraph six of the standing rules of the Senate, Peterson's nomination was returned to the president on January 3, 2014. President Obama resubmitted Peterson's nomination on January 6, 2014. Hearings on Peterson's nomination were held before theSenate Judiciary Committee on January 8, 2014, and his nomination was reported by U.S. Sen.Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on February 6, 2014. Peterson was confirmed on a recorded 70-24 vote of theU.S. Senate on May 8, 2014, and he received his commission on May 12, 2014. Peterson has served as the district court'schief judge since 2017.^[1][2][3][4]

See also

• United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin
• United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit

External links

Suggest a link

• Judge Peterson's biography from theFederal Judicial Center

Footnotes

v • e Federal judges who have served theUnited States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin
Active judges	Chief Judge: James D. Peterson (Federal judge)  •  William Conley (Wisconsin)
Senior judges	Barbara Crabb  •
Magistrate judges	Stephen Crocker  •  Peter Oppeneer  •
Former Article III judges	John Shabaz  •  James Campbell Hopkins  •  Romanzo Bunn  •  Arthur Loomis Sanborn  •  Claude Zeth Luse  •  Patrick Thomas Stone  •  James Edward Doyle  •  David Rabinovitz  •
Former Chief judges	John Shabaz  •  Barbara Crabb  •  James Edward Doyle  •  William Conley (Wisconsin)  •

v • e Federal judges nominated byBarack Obama
Nominated	Federal judges nominated by Barack Obama