Virginia Mary Kendall

Virginia Mary Kendall (born January 25, 1962) is an American attorney and jurist serving as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. President George W. Bush appointed her to the bench on January 3, 2006. In addition to serving on the bench, Judge Kendall is also a noted expert on child exploitation and human trafficking, as well as an adjunct law professor and author. Early life and education Born in Evanston, Illinois, Kendall graduated from Northwestern University with her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1984. She received a Master of Arts degree in Writing from Northwestern in 1987 and her Juris Doctor from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 1992 where she attended night school while raising her three preschool-aged children. Career Following law school graduation, she worked as a law clerk for Judge George M. Marovich of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois from 1992 to 1995. U.S. Department of Justice Prior to joining the bench, Kendall worked for the United States Attorney's Office in Chicago and tried numerous federal jury trials involving white collar crime, insurance fraud, police corruption, public corruption, child molestation, and racketeering. While at the United States Attorney's Office in Chicago, she served as Deputy Chief in the Criminal Division, Child Exploitation Coordinator, and Coordinator of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Kendall helped to create and then served on the Attorney General's Advisory Committee which reviewed all child exploitation cases that impacted multiple jurisdictions.