James F. Holderman, Jr. (from the October, 1991 evaluation)

Judge Holderman, 45, was appointed by President Reagan in 1985, on the recommendation of Senator Percy. He graduated from the University of Illinois Law School in 1971. From 1972 to 1978, he was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Chicago, where he was a supervisory prosecutor. From 1978 until his appointment to the bench, he was with the law firm then known as Sonnenschein, Carlin, Nath & Rosenthal.

Although Judge Holderman arrived on the bench at a young age, his substantial criminal litigation experience, along with his exposure to civil litigation, allowed him to handle all matters competently from the start.

Judge Holderman is reported to have good legal ability. He understands the issues presented. He conducts trials well, and is able to cut through to the heart of the matter. His written opinions are good. He knows the rules of evidence well, and rules quickly and very capably on evidentiary issues.

Lawyers report that Judge Holderman is a fair-minded, reasonable jurist with high integrity. Although he is not particularly aggressive in pursuing the settlement of cases pending before him, he is reported to be capable of facilitating settlement when called upon to do so.

The Council has received several reports, however, that Judge Holderman has exhibited very poor temperament over the past few years. There have been periods where he has been reported to exhibit extreme and inappropriate anger towards attorneys. Although Judge Holderman appeared to have brought his temper under control for a period of time, attorneys report that the problem appears to be re-emerging. Judge Holderman's temper does not appear to affect the disposition of the cases before him.

The Council hopes that Judge Holderman will control his temperament. If his temperament were more even, he has the potential to be a very good judge.