Jeffrey Cummings

Jeffrey Irvine Cummings (born 1962)[1] is an American lawyer from Illinois who serves as a United States magistrate judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He is a nominee to serve as a United States district judge of the same court.

Jeffrey Cummings
Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Assumed office
February 1, 2019
Personal details
Born
Jeffrey Irvine Cummings

1962 (age 60–61)
Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S.
EducationMichigan State University (BA)
Northwestern University (JD)

Education

Cummings received a Bachelor of Arts, with high honors, from Michigan State University in 1984 and a Juris Doctor from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, cum laude, in 1987,[2] being inducted into the Order of the Coif.[3]

Career

Cummings served as a law clerk for Judge Ann Claire Williams of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois from 1987 to 1989. From 1989 to 2019, he was co-managing partner at Miner, Barnhill & Galland, P.C.[2] Cummings served as counsel to Barack Obama from 1996 to his senate election in 2004.[4] He was sworn in as a magistrate judge on January 29, 2019.[5] He assumed office on February 1, 2019.[6] Cummings is a former board member of Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.[7]

Notable cases

In 1995, Cummings, alongside Barack Obama, represented ACORN, a voter registration organization in suing the State of Illinois in seeking to have it comply with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993.[8][9]

In 2009, Cummings secured a $630,000 settlement for a class of black workers with Area Erectors, Inc., who alleged termination based on race.[10][11]

Notable rulings

As a magistrate judge in 2020, 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.[12][13][14]

In 2021, Cummings ordered the pretrial release of Jim Bob Elliott, a member of the group the Proud Boys, who was arrested for his participation of the January 6 United States Capitol attack.[15][16]

Nomination to district court

In December 2021, Cummings was recommended to the president by Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth.[17] On January 18, 2023, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Cummings to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.[2][18][19] On January 31, 2023, his nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated Cummings to a new seat.[20] On February 15, 2023, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[21] On April 20, 2023, his nomination was reported out of committee by a 12–9 vote.[22] His nomination is pending before the United States Senate.

References
  1. "Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  2. "President Biden Names Twenty–Ninth Round of Judicial Nominees" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. January 18, 2023. Retrieved January 18, 2023. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. "Jeffrey Cummings and Stacie Young Join BPI's Board of Directors". BPI Chicago. March 11, 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  4. Voruganti, Harsh (February 7, 2023). "Judge Jeffrey Cummings – Nominee to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois".
  5. Hudson, Courtney (April 30, 2019). "Jeffrey I. Cummings, MBG Former Partner, Inducted as a U.S. Magistrate Judge". Miner, Barnhill & Galland, P.C. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  6. "Jeffrey I. Cummings". www.uscourts.gov. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  7. https://www.clccrul.org/making-good-delivering-on-the-promise-of-equity/jeff-cummings#:~:text=Jeff%20Cummings%20is%20U.S.%20Magistrate,a%20longtime%20Election%20Protection%20volunteer.
  8. Hananoki, Eric; Auerbach, Lauren. "AP, CNN report that Obama represented ACORN, but not that DOJ was also a plaintiff in the lawsuit". Media Matters for America.
  9. "Acorn v. Edgar, 56 F.3d 791 | Casetext Search + Citator". casetext.com.
  10. Eifert, Masuda Funai; Barto, Mitchell Ltd-Frank J. Del (June 1, 2009). "Illinois construction firm settles class-action discrimination claim for $630,000". Lexology.
  11. "AREA ERECTORS, INC. TO PAY $630,000 TO CLASS OF BLACK WORKERS IN RACE DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT". US EEOC.
  12. Newsroom, Illinois (January 20, 2020). "Gov. Pritzker's Lawyers Trying To Shield Him From Deposition In Racial Discrimination Lawsuit - Illinois Newsroom".
  13. "Gov. Pritzker's Lawyers Trying To Shield Him From Deposition In Racial Discrimination Lawsuit". NPR Illinois. January 20, 2020.
  14. "Little v. Pritzker, No. 18 C 6954 | Casetext Search + Citator". casetext.com.
  15. "Proud Boy From Aurora Pleads Guilty to Role in Capitol Riot".
  16. "Proud Boy from Aurora bragged he 'bonked 2 cops,' pleads guilty to Jan. 6 role". Chicago Sun-Times. November 2, 2022.
  17. Thomas, David (December 16, 2021). "Democrats recommend judges for Chicago federal court". Reuters. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  18. Vazquez, Maegan (January 18, 2023). "First on CNN: Biden releases first slate of 2023 judicial nominees". CNN. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  19. Sweet, Lynn (January 18, 2023). "Biden picks Jeffrey Cummings, LaShonda Hunt for Chicago-based U.S. District Court spots". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  20. "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. January 31, 2023.
  21. "Nominations". Washington, D.C.: United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. February 14, 2023.
  22. "Results of Executive Business Meeting – April 20, 2023" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved April 20, 2023.



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