Alumni Spotlight
Judge Candace Jackson-Akiwumi
Firm Background: Partner, 2020 – 2021
This March, we had the pleasure of welcoming back our former colleague, Judge Candace Jackson-Akiwumi of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, for an engaging Q&A. She graciously shared insights from her first few years on the bench, offered personal updates, and provided advice for both lawyers appearing before her and junior lawyers starting out in their careers.
Former Zuckerman Spaeder partner, Judge Candace Jackson-Akiwumi, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in June 2021 to serve as a judge for the Seventh Circuit, following her nomination to this post by then-President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
Below is an excerpt from the conversation:
As the first former public defender to serve as a judge on the Seventh Circuit, how do you think that background has influenced your judging?
It enables me to see that there are real people behind each party, not just the criminal cases, but the civil cases too – real people with real issues for whom the cases are incredibly important. Even thinking about our incredible docket of social security or immigration appeals, these are life or death, survival or not survival matters for people. I came from a career where that was evident every day and what animated me to do the work every day. Coming from that background makes it easy to understand the stakes and care about, not only getting the law and facts right, but how we communicate that to the parties. Often, when you’re writing an opinion, you’re not writing it for the victor, you’re writing it so the losing side can understand why, under the law, their position cannot win.
How do you cultivate resilience?
I employ many different techniques, including having a healthy perspective, my faith, and my family. To quote Judge Ilana Diamond Rovner, the first woman to serve on our court: “We are all but ants.” We are here doing the job before us, but there is a wider world out there. There are many people who came before us and far more that will come after us. Everything is important in the moment, make no mistake, but it’s important to situate the task at hand and remember it’s part of a larger picture. I think having that perspective helps with resilience.
Are there things you wish private practice attorneys knew when they appear in front of you?
It would be helpful for the lawyers before us to remember that we are reading a lot. With every appeal – between the briefs, decisions below, and record on appeal – I can read hundreds and hundreds of pages. We are reading it all – there is not a judge on this court who doesn’t study and make themselves well prepared to hear what a lawyer has to say at oral argument. Brevity is beautiful, and to the extent lawyers can make their point in a concise fashion, it would be appreciated.
Do you have any advice for young lawyers or aspiring judges?
You never know who is watching. You put your head down, you do the job in front of you and serve with integrity. That’s the moral of the story behind my judicial appointment – I never thought I’d be a court of appeals judge – it was never on my radar, but it’s now clear that enough people throughout my career thought that I would be fit for the job and suggested my name to the White House.