--- title: "John Robert Blakey | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-robert-blakey" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # John Robert Blakey 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: active - 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, 2014-present - On August 5, 2014, President Barack Obama nominated Blakey to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, filling the seat vacated by Judge James F. Holderman - Chief, Special Prosecutions Bureau, Cook County Illinois State's Attorney's Office, 2009-2014 - From 2009 to 2014, he was Chief of the Special Prosecutions Bureau for the Cook County State's Attorney and also held the role of a special assistant U.S. attorney - He held the role of an assistant state's attorney in Cook County from 1996 to 2000 and as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of Florida (2000–2004) and Northern District of Illinois (2004–2009) - Assistant state's attorney, Cook County, IL, 1996-2000 - Began his legal career as a law clerk for Judge William J. Zloch in the Southern District of Florida from 1992 to 1994 - Law clerk, Hon. William J. Zloch, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida, 1992-1994 - He is the son of G. Robert Blakey, a law professor and authority on the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act ### Education - Notre Dame Law School in — J.D. (1992) ### Additional information - received his commission on December 19, 2014. - Private practice, Chicago, IL, 1995-1996 - He then worked at the Chicago law firm Vedder, Price, Kaufman & Kammholz from 1995 to 1996. - John Robert Blakey was born in August 1965 in South Bend, Indiana. - Date of birth: 1965-01-01 - Highly experienced federal judge with a strong background in prosecution, particularly in complex corruption and racketeering cases. - Recognized for his expertise in RICO and corruption cases, reflecting both his father’s influence and his own prosecutorial experience. - He has presided over high-profile cases, including the corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, challenges to the Obama Presidential Center, and civil trials involving prominent figures such as Michael Jordan. - He has also been involved in cases related to vaccine mandates, demonstrating his active role in contemporary federal litigation ## 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/1394726) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394726) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394726) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/301/john-robert-blakey/) - [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/301/john-robert-blakey/) - [Wikidata: John Robert Blakey](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q17486465) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-robert-blakey", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-robert-blakey", "name": "John Robert Blakey | KnowJudges", "description": "John Robert Blakey, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. 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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-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.