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Tharp Jr.
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Select Judge
Alexakis
Alonso
Appenteng
Aspen
Bass Ehler
Berry III
Blakey
Bucklo
Chang
Coleman
Cummings
Daniel
Dow Jr.
Durkin
Ellis
Fuentes
Gettleman
Gilbert
Gottschall
Guzman
Harjani
Holleb Hotaling
Hunt
Iasparro
Jantz
Jenkins
Johnston
Kendall
Kennelly
Kim
Kness
Kocoras
Lefkow
McLaughlin
McNally
McShain
Pacold
Pallmeyer
Perry
Reinhard
Rowland
Schneider
Seeger
Shah
Tharp Jr.
Valderrama
Valdez
Weisman
Wood
Magistrate Judge Gabriel A. Fuentes
meeting_room
Courtroom:
2266
gavel
Chambers:
2270
phone
Telephone:
(312) 435-7570
fax
Fax:
(312) 777-3850
error
Notice of Judicial Absence
Judge Fuentes will not be sitting the following dates:
7/13/2026-7/15/2026
error
Important Information
Communications with Chambers:
For case related matters or procedural issues, the Court strongly prefers email over phone communication with the courtroom deputy, with a copy to opposing counsel. Substantive issues must be raised by motion, not email.
Judge Fuentes' courtroom deputy can be reached at
[email protected]
Courtesy Copies:
Courtesy copies are
not
required at this time. All electronically filed documents should be made word searchable before being filed on the CM/ECF system.
error
Biography
U.S. Magistrate Judge Gabriel A. Fuentes - Biography
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Judge Gabriel A. Fuentes
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Procedures to be followed in cases assigned to
Judge Gabriel A. Fuentes
Standing Order for Criminal Trials
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Standing Order for Criminal Trials
Standing Order For Civil Cases
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Upon assignment of cases by consent or referral to Judge Fuentes, an initial status conference generally will be set by means of a minute order. If the parties have not yet filed a recent joint status report, the Court commonly will order that the parties file a joint initial status report within a week before the first status hearing. If a recent status report is on file, the Court will not require an additional report and will rely on the previously filed report. For further information see Judge Fuentes' Standing Order for Civil Cases.
Standing Order for Civil Cases Before Magistrate Judge Fuentes
.
Pretrial Order Procedures
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The Court has prepared a Standing Order setting forth the form
of Final Pretrial Order and other trial preparation procedures that it will
normally use in consent cases. That Standing Order may be obtained from this
website or from the courtroom deputy.
The form of Final Pretrial Order
used by the Court varies in certain regards from the form set forth in
Local Rule 16.1
.
Counsel must read and follow the requirements in that Standing Order when
filing a Final Pretrial Order in a consent case before the Court. The Court
uses certain standard voir dire questions and jury instructions, which are
available on this website. Parties also should consult the Federal Civil Jury
Instructions of the Seventh Circuit, which are available on this website, for
instructions that may be applicable to their case.
Standing Order for Pretrial Procedures in Consent Cases
Standard Voir Dire Questions
Standard Preliminary Jury Instructions
Standard Final Jury Instructions
Submitting a Proposed Order, Agreed or Otherwise, for Electronic Entry by the Judge
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In many instances, after the filing of a motion or after some other development in the litigation, one or more of the Parties may be in a position to submit a proposed order, based on the Court's ruling or direction, or based on a discussion between the Parties. When the proposed order is ready to be entered by the Court, the Parties should not file them with the Clerk's Office or with the CM/ECF system. Rather, proposed orders are to be "submitted" to the judge to consider, modify (if appropriate) and enter electronically. Such proposed orders must be attached to an e-mail sent to
[email protected]
.
The subject line of the e-mail must include the case number and name, the docket number of the corresponding motion, if any, and the title of the order that is proposed. All such documents must be submitted to the court in a format compatible with Word. All parties should be copied on such email.
Submitting a proposed order electronically is not a substitute for filing a motion. A proposed order may only be submitted after the corresponding motion has been filed unless the Court has given prior leave to submit a proposed order without a motion.
Settlement Conferences
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The Court has prepared a Standing Order setting forth its settlement conference procedures.
Judge Fuentes' Standing Order for Settlement Conference
. Counsel and their clients must read and follow the procedures in that Standing Order prior to any settlement conference with the Court.
Social Security Cases
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Judge Fuentes adheres to the schedule set forth in
Local Rule 16.4
for briefing Social Security cases.
Briefs of more than fifteen (15) pages are not permitted, without leave of Court. Parties are encouraged to focus on discussing only the information from the record relevant to the specific grounds they assert for remand/reversal or affirmance. Parties are also encouraged to consider as early as practicable whether the case is suitable for voluntary remand.
Information for People Without Lawyers
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If you are a
pro se
litigant (meaning you do not have a lawyer) in this district, the District Court
Free Self-Help Assistance Program
may be able to provide you with assistance regarding your case. The program operates by appointment and in-person only.
Please
click here
to sign up for an appointment. If you have any issues signing up for an appointment, please contact the help desk at (312) 435-5691. Use of the help desk attorney is not a substitute for an attorney. You should seriously consider trying to obtain professional legal assistance. Below are lists of organizations that may be able to offer you free or low-cost legal assistance or a referral to an attorney if you can afford to pay for legal services.
Free or low-cost legal services
Referral Services
Additional resources and information are available in the following links:
Filing a Civil Case Without an Attorney: A Guide for the Pro Se Litigant
Title VII and Section 1981: A Guide for Appointed Attorneys in the Northern District of Illinois
The Americans with Disabilities Act and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act: A Guide for Appointed Attorneys in the Northern District of Illinois
Local Rule 56.2 - Notice to Pro Se Litigants Opposing Summary Judgment
A Word About Professional Conduct
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Judge Fuentes recommends that all counsel review the Seventh Circuit's "Standards for Professional Conduct," available on the Seventh Circuit's website. Counsel should pay particular attention to the statement in the preamble of the Standards, stating that "[a] lawyer's conduct should be characterized at all times by personal courtesy and professional integrity in the fullest sense of those terms," and to the first of the listed "Lawyers' Duties to Other Counsel," stating that although the lawyers' role is to advance the legitimate interests of their clients, "[i]n our dealings with others we will not reflect the ill feelings of our clients. We will treat all other counsel, parties, and witnesses in a civil and courteous manner, not only in court, but also in all other written and oral communications." Lawyers practicing in Illinois are reminded that their conduct is subject to the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct, including but not limited to Rules 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, and 8.4. In particular, Rule 3.5(d) broadly prohibits conduct that is "intended to disrupt a tribunal." As the commentary to Rule 3.5 states, "[a]n advocate can present the cause, protect the record for subsequent review and preserve professional integrity by patient firmness no less effectively than by belligerence or theatrics," and "[t]he duty to refrain from disruptive conduct applies to any proceeding of a tribunal, including a deposition."
Judge Marshall's Fifteen Ways To Lose a Case
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Judge Prentice H. Marshall was drawn to the law after reading Clarence Darrow's autobiography when Judge Marshall was 11 years old. A native of Oak Park, Illinois, and a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Illinois College of Law, Judge Marshall went on to become a partner at the law firm of what is now Jenner & Block, and to teach law at the University of Illinois College of Law. From 1973 to 1996, he served with great distinction as a U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois, presiding over many high-profile civil and criminal trials. In 1996, after 20 years as a trial lawyer and 25 years as a federal judge, Judge Marshall presented the following "Fifteen Ways To Lose a Case" at a seminar at the IIT-Chicago Kent College of Law:
If you are a defendant, always educate your adversary by a motion to dismiss and thereafter a motion for summary judgment.
Take no discovery and resist all discovery sought by your opponent. Present all discovery disputes to the trial judge, or:
Over-do all discovery and be sure to overuse and misuse it at trial.
Do not consider jury instructions in advance of trial. Pattern instructions are quite adequate, and the judge can just read them out of the book.
During jury selection, if you are permitted to question the prospective jurors, try them: Cross-examine them and doubt their answers. If you are not permitted to question the prospective jurors, act aloof and disinterested when the judge questions them, and submit no supplemental questions.
Do not prepare an opening statement -- either wing it or waive it.
Show who is in charge during the trial. Be tough. Object frequently, request sidebars or request that the jury be sent out of the courtroom. Never make pretrial evidence motions in limine. After all, this is an adversary proceeding.
Don't prepare your witnesses. All you want from them is the facts. And don't listen to their answers -- get on with it. And don't rehearse any experiment or demonstration you intend to present in the courtroom.
Lead on direct but not on cross. Never waive cross and always argue with the witness on cross. And don't listen to the answers on cross.
If you are going to offer a deposition, read it to the jury yourself.
Always have at least three persons with you at counsel table and a couple of more in the audience pews. Consult with them frequently, asking the court, "May I have a few moments, Your Honor, to consult my colleagues?"
Do not publish exhibits to the jury as they are offered. Hide them.
Do not prepare your closing argument -- make it spontaneous and long.
Do not wait while the jury is deliberating. Go back to the office or the bar.
If it is a bench trial, pressure the judge to decide the case quickly, and if the judge decides the case from the bench, object and interrupt during the decision if it is going against you.
When you lose, blame it on the client.
Select a date below to view all schedules.
Thursday, July 23, 2026
5 cases
expand_more
Case No.
Name
Time
Type
1:26-cv-02035
Blair v. Elmhurst University
08:30AM
Settlement Conference
1:25-cv-06361
Aramark Healthcare Support Services, LLC v. Waukegan Illinois Hospital Company, LLC
09:15AM
Settlement Conference
1:25-cv-09809
Stoicescu v. Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
10:00AM
Settlement Conference
1:26-cv-03305
Meli v. Bravos
01:00PM
Settlement Conference
1:25-cv-09884
Newman v. Pentagon Federal Credit Union
12:30PM
Settlement Conference
Friday, July 24, 2026
9 cases
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Case No.
Name
Time
Type
1:26-cv-05175
Allstate Insurance Company v. Rogers Park One Day Surgery Center, Inc.
08:30AM
Settlement Conference
1:22-cv-06151
Gaines v. Instant Brands, Inc.
09:00AM
Status Hearing
1:24-cv-12897
Uchiyama v. Chicago Public Schools
09:00AM
Status Hearing
1:25-cv-01427
Traverse Opportunity Fund, LP v. HRP Acquisitions, LLC
09:00AM
Status Hearing
1:26-cv-00709
Heller v. The City of Markham
09:00AM
Status Hearing
1:26-cv-04639
Camelback Administrative Group, Inc. v. Sing For Service, LLC
09:00AM
Status Hearing
1:24-cv-09514
Fleming v. Serenity Home Healthcare
10:15AM
Settlement Conference
1:26-cr-00333
USA v. Garcia Jr.
10:45AM
Arraignment
1:25-cv-14715
Willis v. Singh
11:00AM
Motion Hearing
Monday, July 27, 2026
2 cases
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Case No.
Name
Time
Type
1:26-cv-03122
Boyd v. Encompass Health Corporation
08:30AM
Settlement Conference
1:25-cv-14164
Board of Trustees of the Graphic Communications Na v. Marketing.com, LLC
09:15AM
Telephone Conference
Tuesday, July 28, 2026
1 case
expand_more
Case No.
Name
Time
Type
1:26-cv-02035
Blair v. Elmhurst University
10:30AM
Settlement Conference
Wednesday, July 29, 2026
1 case
expand_more
Case No.
Name
Time
Type
1:25-cv-14164
Board of Trustees of the Graphic Communications Na v. Marketing.com, LLC
09:30AM
Settlement Conference
Thursday, July 30, 2026
1 case
expand_more
Case No.
Name
Time
Type
1:26-cv-03122
Boyd v. Encompass Health Corporation
10:30AM
Settlement Conference
Number of days notice:
Per the Court’s standing order, please refrain from noticing motions before Judge Fuentes. After the motion is filed, the Court will either promptly select a date and time for a hearing, usually on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday morning (depending on the Court’s schedule), set a briefing schedule, or decide it based on the filed motion alone. For more information, please refer to the Motion Practice section of judge’s Standing Order for Civil Cases.
Motion Type
Day
Time
All Motions
N/A
N/A
Courtroom Deputy
Jannette Nunez
(312) 818-6514
Room 2274
