John Joseph Tharp Jr.
Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Senior status. Born 1960.
Federal judicial service
Newest firstJudge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
- Appointed by
- Barack Obama (Democratic)
- Nominated
- Nov 10, 2011
- Senate vote
- 86 to 1
- Confirmed
- May 14, 2012
- Commissioned
- May 16, 2012
- Senior status
- Sep 30, 2026
Other federal judicial service
- Judge, Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, 2018-2025
Education
- B.A., Duke University, 1982
- J.D., Northwestern University School of Law (now Pritzker School of Law), 1990
Career
- U.S. Naval Reserve, 1978-1980
- U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, 1980-1982, 1987-1988
- U.S. Marine Corps, 1982-1987
- second lieutenant, 1982-1984
- first lieutenant, 1984-1987
- captain, 1987
- Law clerk, Hon. Joel M. Flaum, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, 1990-1991
- Private practice, Chicago, Illinois, 1991-1992, 1997-2012
- Assistant U.S. attorney, Northern District of Illinois, 1992-1997
Other nominations
Nominated to U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, July 31, 2008; no Senate vote
DataSources: Federal Judicial Center, Biographical Directory of Article III Federal JudgesData as of Oct 29, 2026
A work of the U.S. government, not under copyright (17 U.S.C. 105).