Sara Lee Ellis at a glance
- Current role
- Judge
- Court
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
- Jurisdiction
- Illinois · Federal
- Judicial service
- October 8, 2013–present
Sara Lee Ellis
Judge · U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Available research
Loading public docket analytics…
Loading public docket analytics…
Biography
Professional career
- Private practice, Chicago, IL, 2008-2013
- Assistant corporation counsel, Chicago, IL, 2004-2008
- Private practice, Chicago, IL, 2000-2004
- Staff attorney, Federal Defender Program, Chicago, IL, 1994-2000
Judicial service
- Judge, District Court, N.D. Illinois, 2013-present
Education
- Indiana University
Personal record
Born 1969 · London, Ontario, Canada
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/1394286CourtListener judicial biographical directory
Identity source · HTML · checked August 2, 2026
https://www.courtlistener.com/person/987/sara-lee-ellis/Federal 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