---
title: "Sheila M. Finnegan | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sheila-m-finnegan-9226"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-07"
---

# Sheila M. Finnegan

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois · U.S. Magistrate Judge

## Profile

- Court: U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
- State: Illinois
- Role: U.S. Magistrate Judge
- Service status: active
- Last verified: 2026-06-30

## Biography

### Professional career

- Sheila M. Finnegan held the role of a United States Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois from April 2010 until January 2025, and was Chief Magistrate Judge from January 2021 to December 2022
- 1987–1999 — prosecuted federal criminal cases; served as Chief of the Criminal Division (U.S. Attorney’s Office)

### Education

- University of Chicago Law School, — inducted into the Order of the Coif — J.D. (1986)
- in Foreign Service — Georgetown University — B.S. (1982)

### Additional information

- Magistrate, District Court, N.D. Illinois, 2010-present
- 1986–1987: Milton Shadur, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

## Sources

- [Official profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9226/sheila-m-finnegan/)
- [Official roster](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9226/sheila-m-finnegan/)
- [U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois current judicial profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9226/sheila-m-finnegan/)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9226/sheila-m-finnegan/)

## JSON-LD

```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@graph": [
    {
      "@type": "WebPage",
      "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sheila-m-finnegan-9226",
      "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sheila-m-finnegan-9226",
      "name": "Sheila M. Finnegan | KnowJudges",
      "description": "Sheila M. Finnegan, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.",
      "dateModified": "2026-10-07",
      "isPartOf": {
        "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website"
      },
      "mainEntity": {
        "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sheila-m-finnegan-9226#judge"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Person",
      "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sheila-m-finnegan-9226#judge",
      "name": "Sheila M. Finnegan",
      "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sheila-m-finnegan-9226",
      "jobTitle": "U.S. Magistrate Judge",
      "worksFor": {
        "@type": "GovernmentOrganization",
        "name": "U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois"
      },
      "sameAs": [
        "https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9226/sheila-m-finnegan/"
      ]
    },
    {
      "@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": "Sheila M. Finnegan",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sheila-m-finnegan-9226"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}
```


## 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.