John Fitzgerald Kness at a glance
- Current role
- Judge
- Court
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
- Jurisdiction
- Illinois · Federal
- Judicial service
- February 18, 2020–present
John Fitzgerald Kness
Judge · U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Available research
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Biography
Professional career
- Professional Career: Patrol officer, Oak Park, Illinois, 1998-2000
- Professional Career: Assistant U.S. attorney, Northern District of Illinois, 2009-2016
- Professional Career: Private practice, Chicago, Illinois, 2003-2004, 2005-2009
- Professional Career: Law clerk, Hon. William H. Pryor, Jr., U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, 2004-2005
- Professional Career: General counsel, College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, Illinois,2016-2020
Education
- Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
- Northwestern University · B.A., 1991
- Northwestern University School of Law (now Pritzker School of Law) · J.D., 2003
Personal record
Born 1969 · Chicago
Courtroom rules and guidance
Civil Remote Testimony
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.
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 ↗
Criminal Recording And Broadcasting
Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception.
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 ↗
Sources
Federal Judicial Center biography
Identity source · HTML · checked July 25, 2026
https://www.fjc.gov/node/7815636Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court
Judge research source · HTML · checked July 26, 2026
https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedureFederal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited
Judge research source · HTML · checked July 26, 2026
https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts