---
title: "Ruben Castillo | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/ruben-castillo-568"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-07"
---

# Ruben Castillo

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, 1994-present
- In 1994, Castillo was the first person of Latino descent to be named a judge in the Northern District of Illinois, and in 2013 the first to become Chief Judge
- Regional counsel, Mexican American Legal Defense Fund, 1988-1991
- Assistant U.S. attorney, Northern District of Illinois, 1984-1988

### Education

- Loyola University Chicago — B.A. (1976)

### Additional information

- Vice chair, U.S. Sentencing Commission, 1999-2010
- Joined the court in 1994 after being nominated by President Bill Clinton (D).
- Private practice, Chicago, IL, 1991-1994
- Private practice, Chicago, IL, 1979-1984
- J.D. — Northwestern in 1979
- Date of birth: 1954-01-01
- Birth place: Chicago, IL

## Sources

- [Official profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/568/ruben-castillo/)
- [Official roster](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/568/ruben-castillo/)
- [U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois current judicial profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/568/ruben-castillo/)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/568/ruben-castillo/)
- [Judge Ruben Castillo as Its Chief ...](https://www.ilnd.uscourts.gov/_assets/_news/Castillo%20Press%20Release%207_1_13.pdf)
- [Ruben Castillo](https://ballotpedia.org/Ruben_Castillo)

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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.