--- title: "Ilana Kara Diamond Rovner | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/ilana-kara-diamond-rovner" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Ilana Kara Diamond Rovner U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit · U.S. Circuit Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit - State: National federal courts - Role: U.S. Circuit 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, Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, 1992-present - U.S. District Judge, N.D. Illinois (1984–1992), appointed by President Ronald Reagan - Assistant U.S. attorney, Northern District of Illinois, 1973-1977; deputy chief, Public Protection Unit, 1975-1976; chief, Public Protection Unit, 1976-1977 - Law clerk, Hon. James B. Parsons, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, 1972-1973 - Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ### Education - Chicago-Kent College of Law — J.D. (1966) - Illinois Institute of Technology ### Additional information - Senior Judge since July 10, 2024 - Legal researcher, Richard J. Phelan, Esq., Chicago, IL, 1971-present - U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit (1992–2024), appointed by President George H.W. Bush; first woman on the circuit - "Diversifying the Judiciary: Interview with Judge Ilana Rovner." Interview conducted on March 29, 1995, by Sarah Wilson. - James R. Thompson, IL, 1977-1984 - James R. Thompson, Illinois, 1977-1984 - James R. Thompson (1977–84), where she authored the state’s sexual harassment ban and oversaw new human rights initiatives - Assistant U.S. Attorney, N.D. Ill. (1973–77), later Chief of the Public Protection Unit (1976–77) - Born in Riga, Latvia in 1938 to middle-class Jewish parents, Rovner immigrated to the U.S. with her mother as an infant to escape Nazi occupation. - Date of birth: 1938-01-01 - Deputy Governor and legal counsel to Illinois Gov. - Recognized for her leadership in civil rights, consumer protection, and employment discrimination cases, including landmark U.S. v. - City of Chicago employment discrimination suits. - Across her career, Rovner authored over 790 published opinions for the Seventh Circuit, often affirming summary judgment or enforcement for government defendants in civil rights, employment, and administrative law matters. - In summary: Ilana Kara Diamond Rovner is a trailblazer in the federal judiciary — the first woman on the Seventh Circuit — with a career spanning public service, high-profile litigation, and judicial leadership. - She received numerous honors, including the Brandeis Medal for Distinguished Legal Service, the Chicago Historical Society’s Trailblazer Award, and the National Liberty Museum’s Hero of Liberty Award. - Birth place: Riga, Latvia ## 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 ### appellate oral argument Scope: courtwide In federal courts of appeals, oral argument is allowed unless a three-judge panel unanimously finds one of Rule 34's specified grounds for dispensing with it; the clerk provides the date, time, place, and time allocation. Evidence excerpt: Oral argument must be allowed in every case unless a panel of three judges who have examined the briefs and record unanimously agrees that oral argument is unnecessary [Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34, Oral Argument](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-appellate-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387211) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387211) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387211) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2797/ilana-kara-diamond-rovner/) - [Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34, Oral Argument](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-appellate-procedure) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2797/ilana-kara-diamond-rovner/) - [Judge Ilana Kara Diamond Rovner](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387211) - [Wikidata: Ilana Rovner](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q13560986) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/ilana-kara-diamond-rovner", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/ilana-kara-diamond-rovner", "name": "Ilana Kara Diamond Rovner | KnowJudges", "description": "Ilana Kara Diamond Rovner, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. 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/ilana-kara-diamond-rovner#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/ilana-kara-diamond-rovner#judge", "name": "Ilana Kara Diamond Rovner", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/ilana-kara-diamond-rovner", "jobTitle": "U.S. Circuit Judge", "worksFor": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387211", "https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2797/ilana-kara-diamond-rovner/" ], "birthDate": "1938", "birthPlace": "Riga, Latvia", "alumniOf": [ { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Bryn Mawr College" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Chicago-Kent College of Law" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "King's College London" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Illinois Institute of Technology" } ] }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "KnowJudges", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "National federal courts", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/national-federal-courts" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ilana Kara Diamond Rovner", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/ilana-kara-diamond-rovner" } ] } ] } ```