Senate Confirms Zachary Fardon as New U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois
Unanimous Approval for US Attorney Nominee
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) released the following statements today after the Senate confirmed Zachary Fardon to be the next U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. The Senate unanimously approved his nomination.
“Zachary Fardon will be an exceptional U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois,” Durbin said. “His range of experience will serve him well in a city and region as diverse and challenging as the Northern District. Now that he’s confirmed, he will be able to focus on the gun violence plaguing Chicago. I also want to commend acting U.S. Attorney Gary Shapiro for his exceptional work over the last 16months and the entire staff of the Northern District for their dedication and hard work during this transition.”
"There is no doubt that Zachary Fardon is the right fit to be Northern Illinois' next U.S. Attorney," Senator Kirk said. "His unanimous approval by the U.S. Senate today is a bi-partisan testament to his integrity, experience, and reputation as a crime fighter. I am certain that Mr. Fardon will not only continue Patrick Fitzgerald's stellar reputation of prosecuting corrupt public officials, but will also do everything in his power to take out the dangerous drug gangs that are perpetrating violent crime on the streets of Chicago."
Zachary Fardon was born in Kansas City and attended Vanderbilt for his undergraduate education and for law school. From 1996-1997, he was an Assistant Public Defender with the Nashville Metropolitan Public Defender’s Office. In 1997, he moved to Chicago and served as Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District until 2003. Fardon then served as First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee until 2006. He also served in 2005-2006 as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois to participate on the trial team for the prosecution of Governor George Ryan. He is currently a partner at Latham & Watkins LLP where he has chaired the firm’s Chicago Litigation Department since 2009.