Maldonado previously served as a
law clerk for Judge
Rubén Castillo of the
United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois from 2001 to 2003. In 2003, she joined the law firm of Miner, Barnhill & Galland in
Chicago as an associate until 2009 when she was elevated to partner in 2010. She went on to work as partner until 2022 when she was appointed as a district judge. On April 13, 2022, President
Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Maldonado to serve as a United States District Judge of the
United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. On April 25, 2022, her nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated Maldonado to the seat vacated by Judge
Matthew Kennelly, who assumed
senior status on October 7, 2021. On May 11, 2022, a hearing on her nomination was held before the
Senate Judiciary Committee. On June 9, 2022, her nomination was reported out of committee by a 13–9 vote. On July 19, 2022, the
United States Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 53–41 vote. She was confirmed on the same day by a 53–45 vote. She received her judicial commission on August 10, 2022. She was sworn in on October 3, 2022. She became the first Hispanic woman to serve as a federal judge on the Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Her service as a district judge was terminated on July 11, 2024, when she was elevated to the court of appeals.
Court of appeals service On February 21, 2024, President
Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Maldonado to serve as a
United States circuit judge of the
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. On February 27, 2024, her nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated Maldonado to the seat being vacated by Judge
Ilana Rovner, who announced her intent to assume
senior status upon confirmation of a successor. On March 20, 2024, a hearing on her nomination was held before the
Senate Judiciary Committee. During her confirmation hearing, she was questioned by Republican senators over her case backlog, as, with 125 motions having been pending for more than six months without a ruling, Maldonado held one of the largest case backlogs of any federal trial court judge in the nation. On April 18, 2024, her nomination was reported out of committee by an 11–10
party-line vote. On June 20, 2024, the Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 43–27 vote. On July 8, 2024, her nomination was confirmed by a 47–43 vote, with Senators
Joe Manchin and
Kyrsten Sinema voting against confirmation. She received her judicial commission on July 11, 2024. == See also ==