James Block Zagel

Professional career

• Judge, District Court, N.D. Illinois, 1987-present
• Chief assistant attorney general, State of Arizona (on leave from Illinois), 1975-present
• James Block Zagel (1941–2023) was an American judge, attorney, and former prosecutor, best known for his service on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and as a judge on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC)
• U.S. District Judge, Northern District of Illinois — appointed by President Ronald Reagan on February 2, 1987, confirmed by the Senate on April 21, 1987, and in office until October 21, 2016, when he assumed senior status
• Judge, Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court — served from May 18, 2008, to May 18, 2015
• Chairman, Illinois Governor's Advisory Counsel on Criminal Justice Legislation, 1980-1987
• Director, Illinois Department of Revenue, 1979-1980
• Executive director, Illinois Law Enforcement Commision, 1977-1979
• chief, Criminal Justice Division, 1970-1977
• He then held the role of Assistant Attorney General of Illinois (1969–1977), leading the Criminal Justice Division, and as Chief Prosecutor for the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board (1973–1975)
• deputy chief, Criminal Justice Division, 1969-1970
• Assistant state's attorney, Cook County, IL, 1965-1969
• Began as Assistant State’s Attorney in Cook County, Illinois (1965–1969), helping build the case against mass murderer Richard Speck.
• Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
• Judge of the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court

Education

Additional information

• Director, Illinois State Police, 1980-1987
• Born March 4, 1941 in Chicago, Illinois, to Jewish parents, Zagel obtained a B.A. and M.A. from the University of Chicago in 1962 and a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1965
• Date of birth: 1941-01-01
• Evanston Township High School
• Birth place: Chicago, IL