--- title: "Frederick J. Kapala | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/frederick-j-kapala" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Frederick J. Kapala U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois · U.S. District Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois - State: Illinois - Role: U.S. District Judge - Service status: senior - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, District Court, N.D. Illinois, 2007-present - Judge, Illinois Appellate Court, Second District, 2001-2007 - Circuit Judge, Illinois (1994–2001) - Judge, Illinois Circuit Court, Seventeenth Judicial Circuit, 1982-2001 - Assistant state's attorney, Winnebago County, IL, 1976-1977 - Inactive senior judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois ### Education - Marquette University — B.A. (1972) - University of Illinois Chicago - University of Illinois College of Law ### Additional information - Associate Judge, Illinois (1982–1994) - Private practice, Rockford, IL, 1977-1982 - U.S. Army Reserve captain, 1970-1980 - Born 1950 in Rockford, Illinois. - Date of birth: 1950-01-01 - His career spans both state and federal judicial service, as well as military service, making him a seasoned jurist with diverse legal experience - Birth place: Rockford, IL ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### civil remote testimony Scope: courtwide In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards. Evidence excerpt: For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location. [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### criminal recording and broadcasting Scope: courtwide Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception. Evidence excerpt: Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom. [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392566) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392566) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1392566) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1701/frederick-j-kapala/) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1701/frederick-j-kapala/) - [Wikidata: Frederick J. Kapala](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5498110) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/frederick-j-kapala", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/frederick-j-kapala", "name": "Frederick J. Kapala | KnowJudges", "description": "Frederick J. Kapala, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-09", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/frederick-j-kapala#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/frederick-j-kapala#judge", "name": "Frederick J. 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[Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-civil-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8721a344fececced2257fe1d) — Criminal proceedings in United States District Courts; this conservative mapping does not distribute appellate-specific provisions to appellate judges. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.