Northwestern Pritzker Law Alumnus Confirmed to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals

President Biden nominated Joshua Kolar (BA ’99, JD ’03) to a seat on the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Senate confirmed his nomination in January 2024. Kolar is Biden’s fourth nominee to the Seventh Circuit, and he fills the seat from Indiana.

Kolar is a double alumnus from Northwestern University and Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, where he served as the articles editor of the Law Review.

“Congratulations to Judge Kolar on being confirmed to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals,” Dean Hari Osofsky said. “He has had tremendous impact in advancing justice as a judge and lawyer. We are thrilled for him and look forward to the important difference he will make in this new role.”

From 2019 – 2024 Kolar served as a magistrate judge for U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana in the Hammond division. He is also a lieutenant commander is the U.S. Navy Reserve and served in Afghanistan. Earlier in his career, Kolar served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. attorney’s office for the Northern District of Indiana and was in private practice at Mayer Brown LLP.