Virginia Kendall, a former prosecutor nominated to the bench nearly 20 years ago by President George W. Bush, is set to be sworn in as chief judge of Chicago’s federal court Aug. 1.
She’s a well-respected jurist and no stranger to high-profile cases. She most recently made headlines for the two-year prison sentence she handed to convicted former Ald. Edward M. Burke. A 2023 ruling of hers regarding Illinois’ assault-weapons ban was among those that opponents of the law recently tried to challenge up to the U.S. Supreme Court.
But Kendall is also known for her therapy dogs, Birdie and Junebug, who often join her in the courtroom to ease the tension in a high-stress environment. And she’s earned gratitude from jurors for offering blankets in what can also be a highly air-conditioned courtroom.
Kendall’s ascension signals the end of another era. Rebecca Pallmeyer, who became the court’s first female chief judge in 2019, will assume active senior status next month, a court spokeswoman told the Chicago Sun-Times. She expects to maintain a full caseload.
“It has been an honor to serve as chief judge of this court,” Pallmeyer said in a statement. “I look forward to spending more time in the courtroom, and I know that Judge Kendall, who loves this court as much as I do, will be a strong and effective leader.”
Pallmeyer ushered the court through the COVID-19 pandemic, which initially led to a near-shutdown of the court in 2020. It adapted with remote hearings — once seemingly unthinkable — and new juror protocols but has mostly returned to normal operations. She kept staff apprised of COVID-related developments through her regular letters “from Chief Judge Pallmeyer.”
The letters would alert staff to positive COVID-19 tests in the building and included advice or inspiration for soldiering on. When Pallmeyer announced the last of her letters in 2023, she wrote, “I await the noises of celebration from those of you who found the letters annoying. No, I will not be collecting the letters for publication in book form.”
She added, “At the risk of sounding more like Chief Mom than Chief Judge, let me say that I am genuinely proud of this Court.”
The moves by Kendall and Pallmeyer have been long expected and are dictated by law. No district court judge may serve as chief judge after turning 70 — as Pallmeyer does this year. Meanwhile, the title of chief judge goes to the most senior judge in regular active service who is not yet 65, has served for at least a year, and has not previously been chief judge.
Born in 1962, Kendall spent roughly 10 years as a federal prosecutor in Chicago before her nomination by Bush in 2005. She’d once been considered a candidate for U.S. attorney, with her caseload transferred temporarily to other judges just in case.
In 2011 she co-authored the book “Child Exploitation and Trafficking: Examining the Global Challenges and U.S. Responses” along with former federal prosecutor T. Markus Funk.
Funk told the Sun-Times that Kendall is “unique, and we are very lucky to have her as a career public servant.”
“What makes Judge Kendall stand out among her peers is that she has, throughout her career, gone above and beyond,” Funk said by email. “Both as a federal prosecutor and a judge, she has dedicated countless hours in service of the voiceless. She has trained and sensitized prosecutors, judges, policymakers, and lawyers around the globe on the very real scourge of forced labor, the plight of crime victims, and other abuses of the most vulnerable among us.”
The public’s most recent impression of Kendall comes from last year’s Burke trial, followed by the surprising two-year sentence she gave the former City Council dean for racketeering nearly three weeks ago.
Kendall said she was struck by hundreds of letters detailing altruistic acts by Burke, but was also “uncomfortable” with the deal prosecutors struck with former Ald. Danny Solis.
In exchange for gathering evidence against Burke for the feds, Solis will likely not be convicted of a crime despite allegations of wrongdoing.
Kendall has also presided over several additional high-profile matters. They’ve included the case of a crooked Bridgeport bank, the prosecution of a massive gambling ring that once triggered charges against the brother of a Chicago Bears great, and a public corruption case revolving around red-light camera contracts in Chicago.
In February 2023, Kendall appeared to be the first federal judge to consider whether Illinois’ assault-weapons ban met a standard laid out by the Supreme Court in 2022. She wrote that “because assault weapons are particularly dangerous weapons and high-capacity magazines are particularly dangerous weapon accessories, their regulation accords with history and tradition.”
That ruling ultimately became part of a consolidated appeal that the Supreme Court declined last week to hear, though Justice Clarence Thomas said it should consider the issue in the future.
In 2022, Kendall gave an 18-month prison sentence to Vincent “Uncle Mick” DelGiudice, who the feds say ran the largest, longest and most lucrative criminal gambling ring ever prosecuted in Chicago’s federal court. Casey Urlacher, brother of Bears great Brian Urlacher, was once among the defendants charged, and he was arraigned in Kendall’s courtroom. However, he was later pardoned by then-President Donald Trump.
In 2016, Kendall gave a hefty 10-year prison sentence to John Bills, a former City Hall insider convicted of fraud, extortion, bribery and other crimes. Kendall told him, “it takes years to build back the people’s trust in the government.”
And Kendall has also been presiding over the case of Washington Federal Bank for Savings, which was shut down over a multimillion-dollar embezzlement scandal.
In handing down a sentence to one defendant earlier this year, she called the bank a “rat’s nest” of people who were “operating a community bank as if it were their piggy bank.”
