Thomas Kirsch

Thomas Lee Kirsch II (born January 25, 1974) is a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. He is the former United States Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana.

Thomas Kirsch
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
Incumbent
Assumed office December 17, 2020
Appointed by	Donald Trump
Preceded by	Amy Coney Barrett
United States Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana
In office October 10, 2017 – December 18, 2020
President	Donald Trump
Preceded by	David A. Capp
Succeeded by	vacant
Personal details
Born	Thomas Lee Kirsch II January 25, 1974 Hammond, Indiana, U.S.
Education	Indiana University, Bloomington (BA) Harvard Law School (JD)

Early life and education

A native of Hammond, Indiana,[1] Kirsch received a Bachelor of Arts in economics and political science, with highest distinction, from Indiana University in 1996, and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 1999.[2]

Career

After graduating from law school, Kirsch served as a law clerk to Judge John Daniel Tinder of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. He served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana from 2001 to 2008 and was detailed to Washington, D.C. as Counsel to the United States Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy from 2006 to 2007.[3] Kirsch was a partner at Winston & Strawn from 2008 to 2017, where his practice focused on complex litigation and corporate investigations. While working for the government, he prosecuted offenses including mail and wire fraud, honest services fraud, tax fraud, bank fraud, health care fraud, conspiracy, extortion, money laundering, racketeering, obstruction of justice, perjury, and gangs and narcotics.[4]

United States Attorney

On July 14, 2017, Kirsch was announced as the nominee to be the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana. The nomination was sent to the United States Senate on August 2, 2017. He was confirmed by the Senate by voice vote on October 3, 2017.[5] Kirsch was sworn in on October 10, 2017.[6] Several days after being sworn into office, Kirsch announced the arrest of a man accused of sending a bomb that exploded in an East Chicago post office.[7] His tenure as U.S. Attorney ended when he became a judge.

Federal judicial service

On October 21, 2020, President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Kirsch to serve as a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.[8] On November 16, 2020, his nomination was sent to the Senate. President Trump nominated Kirsch to the seat vacated by Judge Amy Coney Barrett, who was elevated to the Supreme Court of the United States.[9] On November 18, 2020, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[10] On December 10, 2020, his nomination was reported out of committee by a 12–10 vote.[11] On December 15, 2020, his nomination was confirmed by the Senate by a 51–44 vote.[12] He received his judicial commission on December 17, 2020, and was sworn in on December 18, 2020.[13]

References

1. "Confirmation hearing for Kirsch set for today". The Indiana Lawyer. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
2. "Meet the U.S. Attorney". April 30, 2015. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
3. "President Donald J. Trump Announces Third Wave of United States Attorney Candidate Nominations". The White House. July 14, 2017. Archived from the original on October 11, 2017. Retrieved October 4, 2017. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
4. Dolan, Bill (July 14, 2017). "Schererville's Kirsch named new U.S. Attorney". The Times. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
5. Dolan, Bill (October 3, 2017). "Senate OKs Thomas L. Kirsch II as U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Indiana". The Times. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
6. Dolan, Bill (October 10, 2017). "Thomas Kirsch II is sworn into office as U.S. Attorney for Northern Indiana". nwitimes.com. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
7. Lyons, Craig; Jacobs, Becky (November 21, 2017). "Public corruption, pipe bombs and the importance of tips: New U.S. attorney for northern Indiana speaks out". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
8. "President Donald J. Trump Announces Judicial Nominees" White House, October 21, 2020 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
9. "Two Nominations Sent to the Senate", White House, November 16, 2020
10. United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Nominations for November 18, 2020
11. Results of Executive Business Meeting – December 10, 2020, Senate Judiciary Committee
12. "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Thomas L. Kirsch II, of Indiana, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Seventh Circuit)" United States Senate, December 15, 2020
13. United States Attorney Thomas L. Kirsch II Announces Departure from Office

External links

• Thomas Kirsch at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
• Biography at Practising Law Institute