Judge Ruben Castillo

Judge Ruben Castillo of Chicago, Illinois, has served as a district judge for the Northern District of Illinois since 1994.  From 1991-1994, he was a partner in the Chicago office of Kirkland & Ellis.   Judge Castillo served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois from 1984-1988 and was previously with the firm of Jenner & Block.  He is an adjunct professor of trial advocacy at Northwestern University School of Law where he has taught since 1988.  Judge Castillo received a B.A. degree from Loyola University of Chicago, and a J.D. degree from Northwestern University School of Law, where he served on the editorial board of the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology.   Judge Castillo has been involved in the criminal justice system since 1978 when he was appointed as a Deputy Clerk for the local criminal courts, a position he maintained throughout college and law school.

In 1996, Judge Castillo was the presiding judge who sentenced ADM to a $100 million fine for its admitted participation in an international price-fixing scheme.

In 1999, Judge Castillo was appointed by President Clinton to serve as the Vice Chair of the United States Sentencing Commission, an independent seven person commission which sets sentencing policy for all federal crimes.  In 2004, President Bush reappointed Judge Castillo to a final term on the Commission which will end in 2009.