December 24, 2024
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Judge from Joliet gets assignment at U.S. Supreme Court

Dow will serve role as chief of staff for Chief Justice Roberts

By Bob Okon
This photo taken Friday, Oct. 3, 2014, shows the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington. A Supreme Court term that is starting Monday, Oct. 6, 2014, with a lack of headline-grabbing cases may end with a blockbuster that helps define the legacy of the court under Chief Justice John Roberts. That's because the justices appear likely to take on the issue of same-sex marriage and decide once and for all whether gay and lesbian couples have a constitutional right to marry. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

The U.S. Supreme Court building seen in Washington D.C. (Susan Walsh)

Judge Robert M. Dow Jr., a Joliet resident, will become the counselor to the chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Dow has been a federal judge with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago since 2007.

Hon. Robert M. Dow, Jr. (’83): Joliet Catholic High School • Valedictorian and Hillman of the Year JCHS 1983. • Graduated summa cum laude from Yale University (’87). • Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University; Master of Business Administration in International Relations (’90). • Graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School (’93). • Doctorate in international relations from Oxford University (’97). • Former law clerk in the United States Court of Appeals in Chicago; former associate and partner at Mayer Brown LLP. • Current Judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (2007-present).

Judge Robert M. Dow, Jr.

He will take on his new duties as counselor to Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. on Dec. 5, according to a news release from the Supreme Court. Dow’s appointment was announced in October. He replaces Jeffrey Minea, who retired in September after 16 years as a counselor.

“I am grateful to Chief Justice Roberts for the opportunity to serve him, the Supreme Court, and the judicial branch in this new role,” Dow said in the release. “It is an honor and privilege to succeed Jeffrey Minear following his long and highly successful tenure as counselor.”

Dow will serve as Roberts’ chief of staff, working on Supreme Court policies and initiatives, according to the release.

“The counselor supports the chief justice as head of the federal judiciary, working in partnership with court executives and judges on matters of judicial administration, and as liaison to the executive and legislative branches on issues affecting the court,” according to the release. “The counselor represents the chief justice in relations with judicial organizations, foreign courts, and visiting dignitaries.”

Dow also will assist Roberts with his non-judicial responsibilities, which include serving as chancellor of the Smithsonian Institution.

Chief Justice of the United States, John Roberts, sits with fellow Supreme Court justices for a group portrait Nov. 30 at the Supreme Court Building in Washington. Just hours after Chief Justice John Roberts handed Republicans a huge victory that protects even the most extreme partisan electoral districts from federal court challenge, critics blasted him as worthy of being impeached, a politician who should run for office and a traitor.

Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts seen while sitting with with fellow Supreme Court justices for a group portrait. (AP file)

“I am pleased that Judge Dow has accepted my invitation to assist this court and courts across the country in their important work,” Roberts said in the release. “He is well prepared to take on these new responsibilities, and I look forward to a long and productive relationship.”

Dow lives in the Cathedral Area of Joliet. He is a 1983 graduate of Joliet Catholic Academy.

He was a Rhodes Scholar who received his law degree from Harvard Law School after graduating from Yale University with a bachelor’s degree in history and political science. Dow graduated from Yale in 1987 summa cum laude. Dow received degrees in international relations from Oxford University, which he attended on a Rhodes Scholarship.

The Supreme Court is seen June 17 in Washington. Abortion rights, and protections for young immigrants and LGBT people top an election-year agenda for the Supreme Court. Its conservative majority will have ample opportunity to flex its muscle, testing Chief Justice John Roberts' attempts to keep the court clear of Washington partisan politics.

The U.S. Supreme Court building seen in Washington D.C. (AP file)

Dow is chairman of the Judicial Conference’s Advisory Committee on Civil Rules. He was chairman of the Advisory Committee on Circuit Rules for the Seventh Circuit from 2012 to 2018. Dow has sat by designation on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the sixth and seventh circuits. He is a member of the American Law Institute.

Before becoming a federal judge, Dow was a partner with the Chicago law firm of Mayer Brown, where he was a member of the firm’s Appellate and Supreme Court and Telecommunications practice groups.

He also teaches complex litigation as an adjunct professor at Northwestern University Law School.

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