Durbin submits names to fill court vacancies

Sen. Dick Durbin has given to the White House the names of seven people he’d like considered for federal court vacancies in Chicago.

There are currently three openings on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

The court handles some of the nation’s highest profile cases, including ones focused on terrorism and corruption.

In a Tuesday statement from Durbin’s office, the Springfield Democrat said he met personally with all his recommended applicants.

Those on his list include Caryn Jacobs, a partner at the Chicago law office of Winston & Strawn; Mary Smith, the general counsel of the Illinois Department of Insurance; and Andrea Wood, a senior trial counsel at the Securities and Exchange Commission in Chicago.

Republican Sen. Mark Kirk also will make judicial recommendations.