The Honorable Rebecca Pallmeyer, '79: To Become the First Woman to Head Chicago's Federal Court
Rebecca Pallmeyer to be first female chief judge in long history of Chicago's federal court
U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer will become the first woman to head the federal court in Chicago, succeeding Ruben Castillo as chief judge on July 1.
“Obviously, it’s a huge honor and a thrill,’’ Pallmeyer, noting the historic first for a court marking its 200th birthday in 2019, said Thursday in a telephone interview. “I guess I feel like it’s taken a long time, but I’m happy it’s happening now.’’
Pallmeyer, who was nominated by President Bill Clinton, has been a district judge in the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse since October 1998 and served as a federal magistrate in the same courthouse for seven years before that.
She said she hopes to stay in the position until she turns 70.
Castillo, who himself broke barriers as both the first Latino federal judge in Chicago and its first Latino chief judge, praised Pallmeyer’s love of the court, dedication and work ethic, saying she is often the first to arrive at work and the last to leave.
A popular figure with colleagues, Pallmeyer is unassuming and patient with defendants and lawyers. She commutes by train and walks to a Metra station in gym shoes. She recently told reporters she is learning to play the cello.
“It’s really a shame that in 200 years a female has not been the chief judge of this court,” said Castillo, who indicated he’s stepping down early at 64. “I told myself there’s something you can do.”
Pallmeyer, 64, grew up in St. Louis, the daughter of a Lutheran minister. She attended Valparaiso University in northwest Indiana, studying history and the humanities.
Her decision to become a lawyer was solidified one day in college while scooping corn and mashed potatoes onto her plate in the school cafeteria.
“You’re going to law school, right, because I know you love to argue?” a friend asked her.
“The idea that someday I would be federal judge was unimaginable,” Pallmeyer said. “A chief judge? It was just not even in my calculus.”
She graduated from the University of Chicago Law School in 1979 and worked in her first job as a law clerk for Rosalie Wahl, the first woman on Minnesota’s supreme court.
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