After Magistrate Judge Mason’s retirement and Magistrate Judge Rowland’s nomination to the district court, the Northern District has selected Jeffrey Cummings and Sunil Harjani to become magistrate judges. Both have strong, diverse experience and will be excellent additions to the bench. And kudos to the Northern District for moving so quickly while the Court is already overburdened. Here are some details about the background of our newest magistrates:
- Jeffrey Cummings, who takes the first open magistrate position, began his career as a clerk for Judge Ann Claire Williams, then on the Northern District and now on the Seventh Circuit. Since clerking, Cummings was a commercial litigator with Miner, Barnhill & Galland PC where he litigated a broad range of cases for both plaintiffs and defendants.
- Sunil Harjani began his career clerking for Judge Conlon on the Northern District. He left his clerkship to join Jenner & Block as a commercial litigator. He left Jenner for the Securities and Exchange Commission. He then joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office, where he was for about the last eleven years, rising to deputy chief of the Securities and Commodities Fraud Section. He also served pro bono as a mediator for the Cook County courts. That will be great experience for Northern District settlement conferences.
Welcome to the Northern District.