--- title: "Sara Lynn Darrow | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sara-lynn-darrow" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Sara Lynn Darrow U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois · U.S. District Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Central 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 - Sara Lynn Darrow (née Frizzell, born 1970) is a United States district judge for the Central District of Illinois, currently serving since 2011 and most recently as Chief Judge from 2019 to 2026 - Judge, District Court, C.D. Illinois, 2011-present - Darrow held the role of Chief Judge of the Central District of Illinois from March 12, 2019, to March 12, 2026 - Assistant U.S. attorney, Central District of Illinois, 2003-2011 - Special assistant U.S. attorney, Southern District of Iowa, 2003-2011 - From 2003 to 2011, she was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of Illinois, prosecuting cases involving firearms, drugs, gangs, fraud, money laundering, and corruption - On November 17, 2010, President Barack Obama nominated Darrow to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois, replacing Judge Joe Billy McDade - Assistant state's attorney, Henry County, IL, 1999-2003 - She then held the role of Assistant State’s Attorney in Henry County, Illinois (1999–2003) - As of now, she is Judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois - She also held the role of a special assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of Iowa ### Education - Saint Louis University School of Law — J.D. (1997) - Marquette University — B.A. (1992) ### Additional information - Private practice, Rock Island, IL, 1998-present - first assistant state's attorney, 2000-2003 - Date of birth: 1970-01-01 - After law school, Darrow worked in the law offices of Clarence Darrow in Rock Island, Illinois. - She was rated “Qualified” by the American Bar Association - Birth place: Pontiac, MI ## 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/1393741) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393741) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393741) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/798/sara-lynn-darrow/) - [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/798/sara-lynn-darrow/) - [Wikidata: Sara Lynn Darrow](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7421698) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sara-lynn-darrow", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sara-lynn-darrow", "name": "Sara Lynn Darrow | KnowJudges", "description": "Sara Lynn Darrow, U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois. 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/sara-lynn-darrow#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sara-lynn-darrow#judge", "name": "Sara Lynn Darrow", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sara-lynn-darrow", "jobTitle": "U.S. District Judge", "worksFor": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.fjc.gov/node/1393741", "https://www.courtlistener.com/person/798/sara-lynn-darrow/" ], "birthDate": "1970", "birthPlace": "Pontiac, MI", "alumniOf": [ { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Marquette University" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Saint Louis University School of Law" } ] }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "KnowJudges", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Illinois", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/illinois" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Sara Lynn Darrow", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sara-lynn-darrow" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 251 | 8 | Not available | 8 | | 2y | 470 | 93 | 3.5 | 93 | | 5y | 1045 | 594 | 5.3 | 594 | | 10y | 2041 | 1577 | 8 | 1577 | Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/ ## 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.