06.07.18

Durbin, Duckworth Statement On Nomination Of Martha Pacold, Mary Rowland & Steven Seeger To Serve As U.S. District Judges For The Northern District of Illinois

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement after the White House announced the nominations of Martha M. Pacold, Mary M. Rowland, and Steven C. Seeger to serve as District Judges on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, based in Chicago: 

“We are pleased that the President has nominated these three Illinoisans. They have the qualifications, integrity, and judgment to serve with distinction as district court judges in the Northern District of Illinois. We appreciate the Administration’s willingness to work with us and with our nonpartisan screening committee to reach consensus on nominees who will serve the people of Illinois well. We look forward to guiding these nominations through the Senate.”

Last year, Durbin and Duckworth established screening committees to assist them in evaluating candidates for vacant federal judgeship, U.S. Attorney, and U.S. Marshal positions in Illinois. The task of the screening committees is to review and vet candidates for the vacancies and advise the senators regarding the candidates’ qualifications and fitness for the position.  

Bios of the nominees from the White House are included below:

If confirmed, Martha M. Pacold of Illinois will serve as a District Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Martha Pacold serves as Deputy General Counsel of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Prior to this appointment, she served as Executive Secretary at the agency. Before that, Ms. Pacold was an associate and then a partner in the Chicago office of Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott, LLP. She also was a Lecturer in Law at the University of Chicago Law School. Earlier in her career, Ms. Pacold served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and as Counsel to the Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice. Ms. Pacold served as a law clerk to Justice Clarence Thomas of the Supreme Court of the United States, to Judge Jay S. Bybee of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and to Judge A. Raymond Randolph of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Ms. Pacold earned her B.A., with highest distinction, from Indiana University, where she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, and her J.D., with honors, from the University of Chicago Law School, where she was inducted into the Order of the Coif and served as Editor-in-Chief of the University of Chicago Law Review. 

If confirmed, Mary M. Rowland of Illinois will serve as a District Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.  Mary Rowland has served as a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Northern District of Illinois since 2012. Prior to her selection as a Federal magistrate judge, Judge Rowland spent twelve years as a partner in the Chicago firm of Hughes, Socol, Piers, Resnick & Dym, Ltd. Before entering private practice, Judge Rowland served for ten years in the Chicago office of the Federal Defender; first as a staff attorney and later as the office’s chief appellate attorney. Upon graduation from law school, Judge Rowland served as a law clerk to Judge Julian Abele Cook, Jr., of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Judge Rowland earned her B.A. from the University of Michigan and her J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School. Judge Rowland is a member of the Gay and Lesbian Bar Association.

If confirmed, Steven C. Seeger of Illinois will serve as a District Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.  Steve Seeger serves as Senior Trial Counsel in the Chicago Regional Office of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, where he has litigated cases to enforce the Federal securities laws on behalf of the public since 2010. Before joining the SEC, Mr. Seeger practiced for twelve years in the Chicago, Illinois, office of Kirkland & Ellis, LLP, where he spent his last seven years as a partner. Before joining Kirkland, Mr. Seeger served as a law clerk to Judge David B. Sentelle of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Mr. Seeger earned his B.A., summa cum laude, from Wheaton College and his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Michigan Law School, where he was inducted into the Order of the Coif and served as both an associate and articles editor of the University of Michigan Law Review.

-30-