Senate confirms new federal judge for Illinois

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate has confirmed a new federal judge for the state of Illinois.

John “Jay” Tharp will fill a judicial vacancy in the Northern District of Illinois. The former captain in the Marines has worked in the U.S. attorney’s office, where he prosecuted government corruption in Illinois. He went on to become a partner in the Chicago law firm Mayer Brown.

He was nominated by Sen. Mark Kirk, who said in a statement that this sends “a signal that Illinois is not synonymous with corruption.”

Tharp was confirmed 86-1.

Last week, the Senate confirmed John Lee, a judicial nominee from Sen. Dick Durbin.