Georgia N. Alexakis Explained

Georgia N. Alexakis
Office:Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Term Start:August 2, 2024
Appointer:Joe Biden
Predecessor:Rebecca R. Pallmeyer
Birth Name:Georgia Nick Alexakis
Birth Place:Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Education:Harvard University (AB)
Northwestern University (JD)

Georgia Nick Alexakis (born 1978)[1] is an American lawyer who is serving as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Education

Alexakis earned a Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, from Harvard University in 2000 and a Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law in 2006.[2]

Career

Between college and law school, from 2000 to 2003, Alexakis worked as an associate and then as a consultant at the Boston Consulting Group in Chicago. From 2006 to 2007, she was a law clerk for Marsha Berzon of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and from 2007 to 2008, she clerked for Judge Milton Shadur of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. From 2008 to 2012, she was an associate and then a partner at Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott LLP, also in Chicago. From 2021 to 2022, Alexakis worked as a partner at Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP in Chicago, where she focused on government enforcement, investigations, and white collar criminal defense. She previously served as an assistant United States attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois from 2013 to 2021. From 2022 to 2024, she served as an assistant United States attorney in the criminal division of that office.

Federal judicial service

On February 21, 2024, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Alexakis to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Her nomination received the support of Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth.[3] On February 27, 2024, her nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated Alexakis to the seat being vacated by Judge Rebecca R. Pallmeyer, who subsequently assumed senior status on August 1, 2024.[4] On March 20, 2024, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[5] On April 18, 2024, her nomination was reported out of committee by a 13–8 vote.[6] [7] On April 30, 2024, the United States Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 53–42 vote.[8] On May 1, 2024, her nomination was confirmed by a 54–44 vote.[9] She received her judicial commission on August 2, 2024.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees. United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. March 19, 2024.
  2. President Biden Names Forty-Sixth Round of Judicial Nominees and Announces Two New Nominees to Serve as U.S. Attorney . February 21, 2024 . The White House . Washington, D.C. . February 21, 2024.
  3. Web site: February 21, 2024 . Durbin, Duckworth Applaud Nominations Of Judge Nancy Maldonado To The Seventh Circuit, Georgia Alexakis To Serve As United States District Court Judge . 2024-02-21 . RiverBender.com.
  4. Nominations Sent to the Senate . February 27, 2024 . The White House . Washington, D.C. .
  5. Web site: Nominations. March 19, 2024. United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Washington, D.C..
  6. Web site: Results of Executive Business Meeting – April 18, 2024. United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. April 18, 2024.
  7. Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Ten Nominations to the Full Senate . April 18, 2024 . United States Senate Judiciary Committee . April 18, 2024.
  8. Web site: On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Georgia N. Alexakis to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois). United States Senate. April 30, 2024. April 30, 2024.
  9. Web site: On the Nomination (Confirmation: Georgia N. Alexakis, of Illinois, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois). United States Senate. May 1, 2024. May 1, 2024.