2025 State of the Court Address
Join us for the 2025 Annual State of the Court Address on Tuesday, July 8th, from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. at the Chicago Bar Association, 321 S. Plymouth Court, Chicago, Illinois. This not-to-miss event will feature Chief Judge Kendall discussing key updates and developments within the Northern District of Illinois.
Chief Judge Kendall will share Northern District of Illinois case statistics, trends in case filings, and other key information for federal court practitioners. The event is complimentary, but the cost of the event covers lunch, advertising, and other administrative costs.
About Hon. Virginia M. Kendall
United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois
Chief Judge Virginia M. Kendall was nominated to the federal bench by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in December 2005. She received her commission on January 3, 2006. A native of Skokie, Illinois, she has served the Northern District of Illinois with distinction, including her current role as Chief Judge.
Judge Kendall has been active in shaping judicial standards and ethics. She spent six years on the Judicial Conference’s Committee on Codes of Conduct, where she helped draft significant revisions to the federal judicial ethical guidelines. She currently serves on the Judicial Conference’s International Judicial Relations Committee, working globally to support the rule of law and assist foreign judiciaries.
Her international work includes training judges, attorneys, and investigators on judicial ethics, the rule of law, and human trafficking. She also serves on the United Nations Judicial Integrity Network. In addition to her judicial service, Judge Kendall is a member of the American Law Institute and teaches law at the University of Chicago, Loyola University Chicago School of Law, and Northwestern Pritzker School of Law.
She has authored two books on human trafficking and contributed extensively to legal scholarship, including her editorial role with the Litigation Journal. Prior to her appointment, she served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Illinois, where she was Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division and held key coordination roles in child exploitation and gun violence initiatives.
Judge Kendall holds undergraduate and master’s degrees from Northwestern University and earned her J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law while attending night school and raising three children.