U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
About the Court
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
Current United States federal appellate court
| United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit |
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| (7th Cir.) |
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| Location |
| Appealsfrom |
| Established |
| Judges |
| CircuitJustice |
| ChiefJudge |
| www.ca7.uscourts.gov |
The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (in case citations, 7th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the courts in the following districts:
- Central District of Illinois
- Northern District of Illinois
- Southern District of Illinois
- Northern District of Indiana
- Southern District of Indiana
- Eastern District of Wisconsin
- Western District of Wisconsin
The Seventh District was created by the 9th United States Congress with the Seventh Circuit Act of 1807. The court is based at the Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago and is composed of eleven appellate judges. It is one of 13 United States courts of appeals.
The court offers a relatively unique internet presence that includes wiki and RSS feeds of opinions and oral arguments.[1] It is also notable for having one of the most prominent [law and economics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_and_economic
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History
List of former judges
| # | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walter Q. Gresham | IN | 1832–1895 | 1891–1893 | — | — | Arthur / Operation of law[4] | resignation |
| 2 | William Allen Woods | IN | 1837–1901 | 1892–1901 | — | — | B. Harrison | death |
| 3 | James Graham Jenkins | WI | 1834–1921 | 1893–1905 | — | — | Cleveland | retirement |
| 4 | John William Showalter | IL | 1844–1898 | 1895–1898 | — | — | Cleveland | death |
| 5 | Peter S. Grosscup | IL | 1852–1921 | 1899–1911 | — | — | McKinley | resignation |
| 6 | Francis Elisha Baker | IN | 1860–1924 | 1902–1924 | — | — | T. Roosevelt | death |
| 7 | William Henry Seaman | WI | 1842–1915 | 1905–1915 | — | — | T. Roosevelt | death |
| 8 | Christian Cecil Kohlsaat | IL | 1844–1918 | 1905–1918 | — | — | T. Roosevelt | death |
| 9 | Julian Mack | IL | 1866–1943 | 1911–1929 | — | — | [5] | reassignment |
| 10 | Samuel Alschuler[6] | IL | 1859–1939 | 1915–1936 | — | 1936–1939 | Wilson | death |
| 11 | Evan Alfred Evans | WI | 1876–1948 | 1916–1948 | — | — | Wilson | death |
| 12 | George True Page | IL | 1859–1941 | 1919–1930 | — | 1930–1941 | Wilson | death |
| 13 | Albert Barnes Anderson | IN | 1857–1938 | 1925–1929 | — | 1929–1938 | Coolidge | death |
| 14 | William Morris Sparks | IN | 1872–1950 | 1929–1948 | 1948 | 1948–1950 | Hoover | death |
| 15 | Louis Fitzhenry | IL | 1870–1935 | 1933–1935 | — | — | F. Roosevelt | death |
| 16 | [James Earl Major](h |
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Judges
Current composition of the court
As of December15,2025[update]:
| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Appointed by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active | Chief | Senior | ||||
| 57 | Chief Judge | Michael B. Brennan | Milwaukee, WI | 1963 | 2018–present | 2025–present |
| 45 | Circuit Judge | Frank Easterbrook | Chicago, IL | 1948 | 1985–present | 2006–2013 |
| 58 | Circuit Judge | Michael Y. Scudder | Chicago, IL | 1971 | 2018–present | — |
| 59 | Circuit Judge | Amy St. Eve | Chicago, IL | 1965 | 2018–present | — |
| 60 | Circuit Judge | Thomas Kirsch | Hammond, IN | 1974 | 2020–present | — |
| 61 | Circuit Judge | Candace Jackson-Akiwumi | Chicago, IL | 1979 | 2021–present | — |
| 62 | Circuit Judge | John Z. Lee | Chicago, IL | 1968 | 2022–present | — |
| 63 | Circuit Judge | Doris Pryor | Indianapolis, IN | 1977 | 2022–present | — |
| 64 | Circuit Judge | Joshua P. Kolar | Hammond, IN | 1976 | 2024–present | — |
| 65 | Circuit Judge | Nancy L. Maldonado | Chicago, IL | 1975 | 2024–present | — |
| 66 | Circuit Judge | Rebecca Taibleson | Milwaukee, WI | 1983 | 2025–present | — |
| 46 | Senior Judge | Kenneth Francis Ripple | South Bend, IN | 1943 | 1985–2008 | — |
| 49 | Senior Judge | Ilana Rovner | Chicago, IL | 1938 | 1992–2024 | — |
| 53 | Senior Judge | Diane S. Sykes | Milwaukee, WI | 1957 | 2004–2025 | 2020–2025 |
| 55 | Senior Judge | David Hamilton | Bloomington, IN | 1957 | 2009–2022 | — |
Chief judges
| Chief Judge |
|---|
| Sparks |
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Court overview, history, and judge data sourced from Wikipedia (CC-BY-SA 3.0).
Notable Opinions (3)
766 F.3d 648 (7th Cir. 2014)
Struck down Indiana and Wisconsin bans on same-sex marriage. Judge Posner's opinion applied heightened scrutiny and systematically dismantled each justification offered by the states for their bans, including tradition, child welfare, and democratic process arguments.
853 F.3d 339 (7th Cir. 2017)
Became the first federal appeals court to hold that Title VII's prohibition on sex discrimination encompasses discrimination based on sexual orientation. The en banc decision paved the way for the Supreme Court's ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County.
441 F. Supp. 2d 899 (N.D. Ill. 2006)
Rejected the government's state secrets privilege defense in a case challenging AT&T's participation in the NSA's warrantless surveillance program. Held that the alleged surveillance program could be challenged without revealing classified information, addressing the tension between national security and civil liberties in the post-9/11 era.
Jurisdiction
The Seventh Circuit covers the following jurisdictions:
Court Information
- Seat
- Chicago, Illinois
- Authorized Judgeships
- 11
- Circuit Number
- 7th