Judge James F. Holderman Jr. ’71 has been selected as a recipient of the Chicago Illini of the Year Award. Co-sponsored by the University of Illinois Alumni Association and the Chicago Illini Club, the award recognizes the accomplishments of Chicago-area graduates of the University. Judge Holderman is one of three distinguished alumni who will be honored at the annual ceremony in March.
Appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois by President Ronald Reagan in 1985, Judge James F. Holderman Jr. enjoyed a distinguished 30-year career as a federal judge, including seven years as Chief Judge. During his tenure, Judge Holderman presided over more than 10,000 cases, including some of the region’s highest profile cases, such as those involving the Chicago Cubs and former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. After retiring from the bench in 2015, he joined JAMS (previously known as Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services) as a mediator, arbitrator and trial consultant.
Leading organizations such as the American Bar Association, American Inns of Court and the Chicago Bar Association have recognized Judge Holderman for his varied contributions to the legal community, which includes authoring law review articles and book chapters, directing legal education seminars and teaching at law schools. For 22 years, Judge Holderman served as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Illinois College of Law where he held the title of the James C. Wood Distinguished Lecturer in Intellectual Property Law, a topic on which he is regarded as one of the nation’s foremost judicial experts. Most recently, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner honored Judge Holderman with the 2017 Order of Lincoln award, which is the state’s highest honor for professional achievement and public service.
A native of Morris, Ill., and married to the former Paula Hudson LAS ’76, Holderman is a proud “Double Illini,” having earned both his undergraduate degree in agriculture as well as his law degree from Illinois. He is also a past president of the College of Law’s Board of Visitors.