Illinois’ senior senator, Dick Durbin, has announced a bipartisan screening committee to assist in filling the Northern District’s three vacant judgeships, as well as for future vacancies. If you are interested in applying for one of the vacant seats, click here to get an application from Senator Durbin’s website. The questionnaire portion of the application is similar to that used by the Senate Judiciary Committee in reviewing judicial appointments. Applications are due by Monday, January 31.

The screening committee will review the applications and make several recommendations for each open seat to Senator Durbin, who will work with Senator Kirk to propose nominees to President Obama. Members of the screening committee include (along with a portion of their respective bios from Senator Durbin’s website):

• Dick Devine (chair). Mr. Devine was elected Cook County State’s Attorney in 1996 and served in that role until 2008. He currently is a partner at the law firm of Meckler Bulger Tilson Marick & Pearson LLP, where he leads the firm’s white-collar criminal defense and commercial litigation practices.
• Demetrius Carney. Mr. Carney is a partner at the law firm of Perkins Coie. He is the president of the Chicago Police Board and a former commissioner for the City of Chicago’s Plan Commission.
• Philip Corboy, Jr. Mr. Corboy is a partner at the law firm of Corboy & Demetrio. He is president of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, president of the board of directors of the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago, former board member of the Chicago Bar Association, and member of the dean’s council of DePaul University law school.
• Kevin Forde. Mr. Forde has his own law practice in Chicago. He is a past president of the Chicago Bar Association, board chair of the Federal Defender Program in the Northern District of Illinois, counsel to the Federal Judges Association, and chair of the Illinois Compensation Review Board. He served as a law clerk to Judge William Campbell in the Northern District of Illinois.
• Patricia Holmes. Ms. Holmes is a partner at the law firm of Schiff Hardin, where she heads the white collar crime group. She previously served as a former state trial judge, an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, an Assistant State’s Attorney for Cook County, and Chief Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Chicago.

  Betty Jang. Ms. Jang is legal counsel and director at CVS Caremark in Northbrook. Previously she served as senior counsel at the McDonald’s Corporation, a litigator at Hinshaw & Culbertson, an attorney with the Cook County Public Defender, and an adjunct professor at the University of Illinois law school.

  Paul Logli. Paul Logli is currently President and CEO of the United Way of Rock River Valley. He previously served for 21 years as the State’s Attorney for Winnebago County, and also served as a judge on the 17th Judicial Circuit Court.

• Cheryl Niro. Ms. Niro is a principal in the law firm of RobinsonNiro PC. She previously served as past president of the Illinois State Bar Association, the Cook County Legal Assistance Foundation, and the National Caucus of State Bar Associations.
• Michele Ruiz. Ms. Ruiz is a partner at the law firm of Sidley Austin. She was selected as a Leadership Greater Chicago fellow.
• Diana White. Ms. White is the executive director of the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago, where she received the Equal Justice Award. Previously she was a partner at Jenner & Block and a law clerk to Judge Walter Cummings on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit.