James R. Knepp II

James R. Knepp II
Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
Incumbent
Assumed office November 13, 2020
Appointed by	Donald Trump
Preceded by	Jack Zouhary
Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
In office July 30, 2010 – November 13, 2020
Personal details
Born	James Ray Knepp II 1964 (age 60–61) Akron, Ohio, U.S.
Education	Mount Union College (BA) Bowling Green State University (MA) University of Toledo (JD)

James Ray Knepp II (born 1964)^[1] is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio and a former United States magistrate judge of the same court.

Education

Knepp earned his Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, from Mount Union College, his Master of Arts from Bowling Green State University, and his Juris Doctor, summa cum laude, from the University of Toledo College of Law, where he was a member of the editorial board for the University of Toledo Law Review.^[2]

Career

Upon graduating from law school, Knepp served as a law clerk to Judge John William Potter of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. He then worked as a litigation attorney for fifteen years with the law firm Robison, Curphey & O’Connell in Toledo, Ohio.^[2]

Federal judicial service

Knepp served as a United States magistrate judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, a position he was appointed to on July 30, 2010, and left in 2020 upon becoming a district judge.^[3][2][4]

On February 26, 2020, President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Knepp to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.^[2] On March 3, 2020, his nomination was sent to the Senate. President Trump nominated Knepp to the seat vacated by Judge Jack Zouhary, who assumed senior status on July 1, 2019.^[5] A hearing on his nomination before the Senate Judiciary Committee was held on July 29, 2020.^[6] On September 17, 2020, his nomination was reported out of committee by a 17–5 vote.^[7] On November 9, 2020, the United States Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 62–23 vote.^[8] On November 10, 2020, his nomination was confirmed by a 64–24 vote.^[9] He received his judicial commission on November 13, 2020.^[3] He was sworn in on November 19, 2020.^[10]

References

1. United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees: James Knepp
2. "President Donald J. Trump Announces Judicial Nominees, a United States Attorney Nominee, and a United States Marshal Nominee". whitehouse.gov. Retrieved February 27, 2020 – via National Archives.
3. James R. Knepp II at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
4. "Magistrate Judge James R. Knepp, II". www.ohnd.uscourts.gov. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
5. "Four Nominations Sent to Senate", White House, March 3, 2020
6. Nominations for July 29, 2020
7. Results of Executive Business Meeting – September 17, 2020, Senate Judiciary Committee
8. "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: James Ray Knepp II to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Ohio)" United States Senate, November 9, 2020
9. "On the Nomination (Confirmation: James Ray Knepp II, of Ohio, to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Ohio)" United States Senate, November 10, 2020
10. "Judge James R. Knepp, II Sworn In". ohnd.uscourts.gov. November 19, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2023.

External links

• James R. Knepp II at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.

Legal offices
Preceded by Jack Zouhary	Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio 2020–present	Incumbent