{{Short description|American judge (born 1979)}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = April Perry | image = April M. Perry-7-31-24.jpg | office = Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois | term_start = November 20, 2024 | term_end = | appointer = Joe Biden | predecessor = Nancy L. Maldonado | successor = | birth_name = April Michelle Perry | birth_date = {{birth year and age|1979}} | birth_place = San Diego, California, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | party = | spouse = | relations = | children = | education = Northwestern University (BS, JD) }}
'''April Michelle Perry''' (born 1979)<ref name="Questionnaire">{{Cite web |url=https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/perry_sjq.pdf |title=Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees |publisher=United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary |access-date=July 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240731012201/https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/perry_sjq.pdf |archive-date=July 31, 2024 |url-status=dead}}</ref> 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. Perry was previously the nominee to serve as the United States attorney for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, but her nomination stalled and President Biden instead nominated her for a federal judgeship.
==Education==
Perry received a Bachelor of Science, ''magna cum laude'', in 2000 from Northwestern University and a Juris Doctor, ''magna cum laude'', in 2003 from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law.<ref name="WHBio">{{Cite press release |title=President Biden Names Thirty-Fifth Round of Judicial Nominees and One New Nominee to Serve as U.S. Attorney |date=June 28, 2023 |publisher=The White House |location=Washington, D.C. |url=https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/06/28/president-biden-names-thirty-fifth-round-of-judicial-nominees-and-one-new-nominee-to-serve-as-u-s-attorney/ |access-date=June 28, 2023}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>
== Career ==
From 2003 to 2004, Perry served as a law clerk for Judge Joel Flaum of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. From 2004 to 2016, she served as an assistant United States attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois. While an AUSA, from 2010 to 2011, she was the deputy chief in the Narcotics and Gangs Section. From 2011 to 2016, she served as supervisory litigation counsel. From 2010 to 2016 she was the Project Safe Childhood coordinator and from 2014 to 2016 she was the Civil Rights and Hate Crimes coordinator. From 2017 to 2019, Perry served as the Chief Deputy State's Attorney and chief ethics officer for the Cook County State's Attorney's Office. From 2019 to 2022, she was general counsel for Ubiety Technologies, an artificial intelligence technology start up.<ref>https://vettingroom.org/2024/05/09/april-perry/#comments</ref> From 2022 to 2024, she was the senior counsel of global investigations and fraud and abuse prevention at GE HealthCare.<ref name="WHBio"/>
=== Nomination as U.S. attorney ===
Perry was one of two candidates submitted to the White House by Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Feurer |first=Todd |date=June 28, 2023 |title=April Perry nominated to be first woman as U.S. Attorney in Chicago - CBS Chicago |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/april-perry-nomination-us-attorney-chicago/ |access-date=June 28, 2023 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref> On June 28, 2023, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Perry to be the United States attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.<ref name="WHBio"/> On July 11, 2023, her nomination was sent to the Senate.<ref>{{Cite press release |title=Nominations Sent to the Senate |date=July 11, 2023|publisher=The White House |location=Washington, D.C. |url=https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2023/07/11/nominations-sent-to-the-senate-113/}}</ref> On September 14, 2023, her nomination was reported out of the committee by a 12–9 vote.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2023-09-14_-_ebm_-_results.pdf|title=Results of Executive Business Meeting – September 14, 2023|publisher=United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary|accessdate=September 22, 2023}}</ref>
On January 3, 2024, her nomination was returned to the president under Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of the United States Senate.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 3, 2024 |title=PN815 — April M. Perry — Department of Justice |url=https://www.congress.gov/nomination/118th-congress/815|access-date=January 3, 2024 |website=congress.gov}}</ref> She was renominated on January 11, 2024.<ref>{{Cite press release |title=Nominations Sent to the Senate |date=January 11, 2024 |url=https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2024/01/11/nominations-sent-to-the-senate-134/}}</ref> If Perry had been confirmed, she would have become the first woman to serve as U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 28, 2023 |title=President Biden nominates April Perry as US Attorney in Chicago, first woman nominee in decades |url=https://abc7chicago.com/april-perry-us-district-attorney-chicago-biden/13436953/ |access-date=June 28, 2023 |website=ABC7 Chicago |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Raymond |first1=Nate |title=Biden nominates stalled Chicago prosecutor nominee to judgeship instead |url=https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/biden-nominates-stalled-chicago-prosecutor-nominee-judgeship-instead-2024-04-24/ |access-date=16 May 2024 |publisher=Reuters |date=April 24, 2024}}</ref> Perry's nomination was blocked by then-Senator JD Vance in protest of the indictments of then-former President Donald Trump.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Sweet|first=Lynn|title=April Perry's bid to be city's first female top federal prosecutor to end, Biden will tap her to be federal judge|url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/2024/04/23/april-perry-us-attorney-stalled-bid-jd-vance-joe-biden|website=chicago.suntimes.com|access-date=April 24, 2024}}</ref> Her nomination was withdrawn by the White House on July 11, 2024, when her nomination to the district court was sent to the Senate.<ref name="WHS">{{Cite press release |title=Nominations and Withdrawals Sent to the Senate |date=July 11, 2024 |publisher=The White House |location=Washington, D.C. |url=https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2024/07/11/nominations-and-withdrawals-sent-to-the-senate-13/}}</ref>
=== Federal judicial service ===
On April 24, 2024, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Perry to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.<ref name="WHBio2">{{Cite press release |title=President Biden Names Forty-Eighth Round of Judicial Nominees|date=April 24, 2024 |publisher=The White House |location=Washington, D.C. |url=https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2024/04/24/president-biden-names-forty-eighth-round-of-judicial-nominees/ |access-date=April 24, 2024}} {{PD-notice}}</ref> On July 11, 2024, her nomination was sent to the United States Senate. He nominated Perry to the seat being vacated by Judge Nancy L. Maldonado, who was subsequently confirmed to serve as a circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.<ref name="WHS"/> On July 31, 2024, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Nominations|date=July 30, 2024|publisher=United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary|location=Washington, D.C.|url=https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/committee-activity/hearings/07/31/2024/nominations}}</ref> On September 19, 2024, her nomination was reported out of committee by a 13–8 vote.<ref>{{Cite press release |title=Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Four Judicial Nominations, Two Marshal Nominations To Full Senate |date=September 19, 2024 |publisher=U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee |url=https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/press/dem/releases/senate-judiciary-committee-advances-four-judicial-nominations-two-marshal-nominations-to-full-senate |access-date=September 20, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Headley|first=Tiana|title=US Attorney Pick Stalled by Vance Advances as Judicial Nominee|url= https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/us-attorney-pick-stalled-by-vance-advances-as-judicial-nominee|website=Bloomberg Law|access-date=September 19, 2024}}</ref> On November 12, 2024, the United States Senate confirmed her nomination by a 51–44 vote.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1182/vote_118_2_00256.htm|title=On the Nomination (Confirmation: April M. Perry, of Illinois, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois)|website=United States Senate|date=November 12, 2024|access-date=November 12, 2024}}</ref> She received her judicial commission on November 20, 2024.<ref>{{FJC Bio|nid=13761884|inline=yes}}</ref> She was sworn in on November 26, 2024.<ref>{{Cite press release|title=Judge April Perry Sworn in as U.S. District Judge|url=https://www.ilnd.uscourts.gov/_assets/_news/Judge%20Perry%20sworn%20in.pdf|website=ilnd.uscourts.gov|access-date=November 26, 2024}}</ref>
=== Notable cases === In October 2025, Perry ruled that the Trump administration cannot deploy the National Guard against protestors in Chicago.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/federal-judge-temporarily-blocks-national-guard-deployment-in-chicago/ar-AA1Ob2DK|title=Federal judge temporarily blocks National Guard deployment|website=NBC on MSN|date=2025-10-09|access-date=2025-12-23}}</ref> On October 16, 2025, the 7th Circuit affirmed Perry's order.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ca7.54985/gov.uscourts.ca7.54985.26.0.pdf|title=State of Illinois and City of Chicago v. Donald J. Trump|website=storage.courtlistener.com|date=2025-10-16|access-date=2025-12-23}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lawdork.com/p/not-guilty?open=false#§a-seventh-circuit-order|title="Not Guilty"|website=Law Dork|date=2025-10-16|access-date=2025-12-23}}</ref> The Trump administration appealed to the Supreme Court<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lawdork.com/p/trump-admin-asks-scotus-for-an-order?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=post_embed&utm_medium=email|title=Trump admin asks SCOTUS for an order allowing it to deploy troops in Chicago immediately|website=Law Dork|date=2025-10-17|access-date=2025-12-23}}</ref>, and on December 23, 2025, the Supreme Court declined to reverse the ruling blocking National Guard deployment.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25a443_ba7d.pdf|title=DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, ET AL. v. ILLINOIS, ET AL.|website=supremecourt.gov|date=2025-12-23|access-date=2025-12-23}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2025/12/trump-v-illinois-supreme-court-national-guard-chicago.html|title=Trump Just Faced the Biggest Supreme Court Defeat of His Second Term So Far|website=Slate|date=2025-12-23|access-date=2025-12-23}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vox.com/politics/473434/supreme-court-trump-national-guard|title=The Supreme Court just handed Trump a rare — and very significant — loss|website=Vox|date=2025-12-23|access-date=2025-12-23}}</ref>
In 2026, Perry is presiding over the prosecutions of protestors arrested at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Broadview, Illinois.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |title=Judge won’t compel prosecutors to produce White House communications in Broadview Six case |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/04/07/white-house-communications-broadview-six-case/ |date=April 7, 2026 |first=Caroline |last=Kubzansky}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=No Evidence of White House Influence in ‘Broadview Six’ Charges, Court Finds |first=Matt |last=Masterson |date=April 7, 2026 |url=https://news.wttw.com/2026/04/07/no-evidence-white-house-influence-broadview-six-charges-court-finds |publisher=WTTW}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
== External links == *{{FJC Bio|nid=13761884}}
{{s-start}} {{s-legal}} {{s-bef|before=Nancy L. Maldonado}} {{s-ttl|title={{nowrap|Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois}}|years=2024–present}} {{s-inc}} {{s-end}} {{United States 7th Circuit district judges}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perry, April}} Category:1979 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century American lawyers Category:21st-century American women judges Category:Assistant United States attorneys Category:Illinois lawyers Category:Judges of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Category:Lawyers from San Diego Category:Northwestern University alumni Category:Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law alumni Category:United States district court judges appointed by Joe Biden