Sharon Johnson Coleman

Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman: U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

Judicial Overview

Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman is a U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois. She was nominated to the court by President Barack Obama on February 24, 2010, and, following a unanimous confirmation by the U.S. Senate, received her commission on July 13, 2010. Prior to her federal appointment, Judge Coleman had an extensive judicial career in Illinois state courts, serving as a Justice on the Illinois First District Appellate Court from 2008 to 2010 and as a Judge on the Cook County Circuit Court from 1996 to 2008. Her earlier legal career included roles as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois and as an Assistant State's Attorney in Cook County.

Patent Docket and Procedures

Judge Coleman's official procedures state that she follows the Local Patent Rules for the Northern District of Illinois in all patent cases unless otherwise specified. While specific statistics on the volume of her patent docket are not publicly available, her rulings indicate experience with complex technologies. For instance, in HFT Solutions, LLC v. Citadel Securities LLC, she denied a motion to dismiss, finding that patent claims related to field programmable gate array (FPGA) microchips plausibly recited a specific technological improvement and were not directed to an abstract idea under 35 U.S.C. § 101. This suggests a detailed approach to patent eligibility questions at the pleading stage.

Notable Rulings and Trends

Beyond the tracked case Rare Breed Triggers Inc et al. v. Optic Planet Inc, Judge Coleman has presided over other noteworthy intellectual property disputes. In a long-running patent infringement case involving electronic trading software patents, she granted a default judgment and imposed sanctions after finding a witness had destroyed evidence. More recently, Judge Coleman has shown a willingness to scrutinize personal jurisdiction in cases involving online sellers. In multiple "Schedule A" copyright and trademark infringement cases, she has dismissed complaints sua sponte or on motion, holding that evidence of a product merely being available for shipment to Illinois is insufficient to establish personal jurisdiction without proof of an actual sale or shipment into the forum.

Local Rules and Procedures

Judge Coleman maintains specific and detailed case management procedures. All motions, even if unopposed, must be noticed for presentment in court, and she maintains a standard briefing schedule of 28 days for a response and 14 days for a reply. The judge strongly discourages discovery motions and requires strict compliance with the "meet and confer" requirements of Local Rule 37.2 before filing any such motion. Her standing orders also place specific limits on summary judgment filings: movants are limited to 80 statements of undisputed material facts and respondents to 40, absent prior leave of the court. Notably, Judge Coleman has a standing order explicitly prohibiting parties from using Artificial Intelligence to draft legal memoranda or to cite as authority. As of December 2019, she no longer participates in the court's Mandatory Initial Discovery Pilot Project.