09.14.23

Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Nomination of April Perry to Serve as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois

If confirmed, Ms. Perry will become the first woman to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today released the following statement after the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance the nomination of April Perry to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois:

“We are pleased that the Senate Judiciary Committee has advanced the nomination of April Perry to serve as the next U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.  She was highly regarded by our screening committee and brings strong qualifications and a wealth of experience from her time in the U.S. Attorney’s Office and in the private sector to the position. 

“While we would hope for quick consideration of Ms. Perry’s nomination by the full Senate, one Republican Senator continues to hold up Department of Justice nominees, including critical federal law enforcement officers—who prosecute violent crime, terrorism, and crimes against children—from being quickly confirmed.  If the Republican Party was really the party of ‘law and order,’ they would release their holds and allow these law enforcement officers to be confirmed without delay.”

In January, the Senators announced that they would begin accepting applications from those interested in serving as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.  The Senators were assisted by a screening committee whose task was to review and vet candidates and advise the Senators regarding the candidates’ qualifications and fitness for the position. 

In March, the Senators sent a letter to the White House recommending two candidates for President Biden’s consideration for the position, including April Perry.

Now that Ms. Perry’s nomination has been approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee, it will be sent to the full Senate for consideration.  Until a nominee is confirmed by the Senate, Morris Pasqual will continue to serve as Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.

Ms. Perry’s biography from the White House is below:

April Perry is Senior Counsel, Global Investigations and Fraud and Abuse Prevention, at GE HealthCare. Prior to GE HealthCare, Ms. Perry was the General Counsel for Ubiety Technologies from 2019 to 2022. From 2017 to 2019, Ms. Perry served as the Chief Deputy State’s Attorney and Chief Ethics Officer for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. Ms. Perry previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois from 2004 to 2016. She held numerous leadership positions in that office, including as Supervisory Litigation Counsel from 2011 to 2016, Project Safe Childhood Coordinator from 2010 to 2016, Civil Rights and Hate Crimes Coordinator from 2014 to 2016, and as a Deputy Chief in Narcotics and Gangs from 2010 to 2011. Ms. Perry served as a law clerk for Judge Joel M. Flaum on U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit from 2003 to 2004. She received her J.D., magna cum laude, in 2003 and her B.S., magna cum laude, in 2000, both from Northwestern University.

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