Confirmed by unanimous vote in the US Senate.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: Illinois judge Manish Shah was confirmed by a unanimous Senate vote on Wednesday, formally allowing him to assume his new position as a US District Court Judge for the Northern District of Illinois.
In taking up his new job, Shah becomes the first federal judge of south Asian descent in the history of Illinois. Shah was confirmed by a vote of 95-0, indicating universal support from both sides of the aisle. Illinois Senators Mark Kirk (Republican) and Dick Durbin (Democrat) are credited with having lobbied the hardest for Shah’s nomination.
“I commend the Senate for confirming Manish Shah to the federal bench in the Northern District of Illinois,” Kirk said in a statement on his office’s official website. “His experience as a prosecutor and in various leadership positions at Chicago’s U.S. Attorney’s office will ensure Mr. Shah is a knowledgeable jurist who will provide a fair forum for the resolution of civil disputes and the prosecution of alleged crimes. I know Mr. Shah will be a top tier federal judge.”
Shah (40) was originally nominated by President Barack Obama in September of last year, as part of a flurry of Indian American judicial nominations that the President announced within a short span of time. The confirmation process proved longer than expected, requiring Obama to re-nominate Shah in January.
A native of West Hartford, Connecticut, Shah graduated from Stanford University with honors and distinctions, and earned his law degree from the University of Chicago Law School. He worked as a litigation associate in San Francisco for some time, and then came to Illinois to clerk for Judge James B. Zagel.
He joined the US Attorney’s Office in Chicago in 2001, where he has amassed a stellar reputation for convictions against violent criminals, public corruption, and other illegal activities. He also served as Deputy Chief of the General Crimes Section from 2007-2008, and as Deputy Chief of the Financial Crimes and Special Prosecutions Section from 2008-2011.
Shah has been feted with awards from some of the biggest organizations in US government, including the FBI Director’s Award for Outstanding Criminal Investigation.