---
title: "John W. Darrah | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-w-darrah-797"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-09"
---

# John W. Darrah

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: 2026-06-30

## Biography

### Professional career

- Judge, District Court, N.D. Illinois, 2000-present
- Adjunct professor, Northern Illinois University College of Law, 1972-present
- John W. Darrah (1938–2017) was a U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois, appointed by President Bill Clinton in 2000 and serving until his death in 2017
- Judge, Illinois Circuit Court, Eighteenth Judicial Circuit, 1986-2000
- Judge, Illinois 18th Judicial Circuit Court (DuPage County) (1986–2000)
- Deputy public defender, DuPage County, IL, 1971-1973

### Education

- Loyola University Chicago School of Law — J.D. (1969)
- Loyola University Chicago — B.S. (1965)

### Additional information

- Judge Darrah died March 23, 2017, at his home in Lisle, Illinois, at age 78.
- He continued teaching at John Marshall Law School and served until March 1, 2017, when he assumed senior status
- On May 11, 2000, President Clinton nominated Darrah to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, replacing George M. Marovich
- Private practice, Illinois, 1976-1986
- Assistant state's attorney, Illinois, 1973-1976
- Private practice, Illinois, 1971-1973
- Attorney advisor, Federal Trade Commission, 1969-1971
- John Walter Darrah was born December 11, 1938, in Chicago, Illinois.
- Date of birth: 1938-01-01
- Birth place: Chicago, IL

## Sources

- [Official profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/797/john-w-darrah/)
- [Official roster](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/797/john-w-darrah/)
- [U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois current judicial profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/797/john-w-darrah/)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/797/john-w-darrah/)
- [Wikidata: John W. Darrah](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6262216)

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## Published courtroom rules

### Shared court rules

- [Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-651872d6e45e0d82319ecccc) — Civil actions in United States District Courts; Rule 81 exceptions apply. 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.