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James Sweeney (Indiana)

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James R. Sweeney II

Nonpartisan

United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana

Tenure

2018 - Present

Years in position

Education

Bachelor's

United States Naval Academy, 1983

Law

University of Notre Dame Law School, 1996

Personal

Birthplace

Indianapolis, IN

Contact

Official website

Personal LinkedIn

James Russell Sweeney II is achief judge on theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. He was nominated to the court by PresidentDonald Trump (R) on November 1, 2017, and confirmed by theU.S. Senate on August 28, 2018, by a voice vote.^[1]^[2]^[3] Sweeney became chief judge on July 11, 2025.^[4] To see a full list of judges appointed byDonald Trump,click here.

TheUnited States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana is one of 94U.S. District Courts. They are the generaltrial courts of theUnited States federal courts. To learn more about the court,click here.

Prior to his judicial appointment, Sweeney was a partner at theIndianapolis, 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 theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana by PresidentDonald Trump (R) on November 1, 2017. TheU.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.

On July 11, 2025, Sweeney was named the chief judge.^[4]

Nomination Tracker

Nominee Information
Name: James R. Sweeney II
Court:United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
Progress
Confirmed 300 days after nomination.
ANominated: November 1, 2017
AABA Rating:Unanimously Well Qualified
Questionnaire:Questionnaire
AHearing: January 10, 2018

QFRs:(Hover over QFRs to read more)

AReported: February 8, 2018
AConfirmed: 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 theSenate 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 JudgeSarah Barker, who assumedsenior status on June 30, 2014.

TheAmerican Bar Association unanimously rated Sweeneywell qualified for the position.^[5] To read more about ABA ratings,click here.

Education

Sweeney earned his bachelor's degree with merit from the United States Naval Academy in 1983. He earned hisJ.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 theNotre Dame Law Review.^[2]^[6]

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]^[6]^[7]

Professional career

2018-present: Judge,United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
- 2025 - Present: Chief judge
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:James Sweeney
Active judges:Matthew Brookman,James Patrick Hanlon,Tanya Walton Pratt,James R. Sweeney II Senior judges: Sarah Barker,William Lawrence,Jane Magnus-Stinson,Richard Young

TheUnited States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana is one of 94United States district courts. It was created in 1928 by an act of Congress that splitIndiana 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 theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit based inChicago, Illinois, at the Everett M. Dirksen Federal Courthouse and Building.

The Southern District of Indiana hasoriginal 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:

TheIndianapolis Division, coveringBartholomew,Boone,Brown,Clinton,Decatur,Delaware,Fayette,Fountain,Franklin,Hamilton,Hancock,Hendricks,Henry,Howard,Johnson,Madison,Marion,Monroe,Montgomery,Morgan,Randolph,Rush,Shelby,Tipton,Union andWayne counties.^[8]

TheTerre Haute Division, coveringClay,Greene,Knox,Owen,Parke,Putnam,Sullivan,Vermillion andVigo counties.^[8]

TheEvansville Division, coveringDaviess,Dubois,Gibson,Martin,Perry,Pike,Posey,Spencer,Vanderburgh andWarrick counties.^[8]

TheNew Albany Division, coveringClark,Crawford,Dearborn,Floyd,Harrison,Jackson,Jefferson,Jennings,Lawrence,Ohio,Orange,Ripley,Scott,Switzerland andWashington counties.^[8]

To read opinions published by this court, clickhere.

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 theSenate 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 ablue 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.