Tanya Walton Pratt

Judge Tanya Walton Pratt: A Profile for Patent Litigators

Judge Overview

The Honorable Tanya Walton Pratt is a U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Indiana. Appointed by President Barack Obama, she joined the bench on June 15, 2010, becoming the first African-American federal judge in Indiana's history. Judge Pratt also served as Chief Judge for the district from March 2021 to July 2025. Before her federal appointment, she had an extensive judicial career in Indiana's state courts, serving as a judge in the Marion Superior Court from 1997 to 2010, including time in both the criminal and probate divisions. Her prior legal practice was as a partner at Walton & Pratt, where her work focused on family law, bankruptcy, and probate law. She also has experience as a contract county public defender.

Patent Docket

While specific statistics on the volume of her patent docket are not publicly available, Judge Pratt has presided over a number of significant and technically complex patent disputes. She has noted the need for a judge to be a "generalist," moving from "a technical aspect of a patent case" to other areas of federal law in the same day. Her docket has included major pharmaceutical patent litigation under the Hatch-Waxman Act, as well as cases involving medical devices and building materials. Judge Pratt's approach to claim construction involves issuing formal Markman rulings. In at least one case, she declined a post-settlement request to vacate prior claim construction rulings, citing the public interest in preserving the finality of judicial decisions and noting the "substantial judicial and party effort" already expended.

Notable Rulings and Trends

Judge Pratt has handled several high-profile patent cases, most notably the disputes involving Eli Lilly's blockbuster chemotherapy drug, Alimta. In litigation against multiple generic drug manufacturers, she upheld the validity of a key patent for administering the drug with vitamins to reduce side effects. Following a bench trial in a related case against Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, Judge Pratt issued detailed findings of fact and conclusions of law, finding infringement under the doctrine of equivalents. She has also addressed issues of divided infringement in the medical context, ruling that a physician "directs or controls" a patient's actions, allowing the steps performed by both to be attributed to a single actor for infringement purposes. More recently, she is presiding over the 2026 case of Benjamin Booher, JR. et al. v. Schutt Sports Inc., involving a patent for football helmet technology. Outside of patent law, Judge Pratt has also dismissed a patent infringement suit for lack of personal jurisdiction over the defendants.

Local Rules and Procedures

Judge Pratt maintains a detailed "Courtroom Procedures and Trial Practice" guide, which, while not specific to patent cases, outlines her expectations for all litigants. The document emphasizes professionalism and familiarity with the Seventh Circuit's Standards of Professional Conduct. For summary judgment motions, her procedures express a preference for non-simultaneous briefing on cross-motions to avoid duplicative arguments. With respect to trial, Judge Pratt's rules require counsel to confer and file a joint set of final jury instructions and indicate that she may allow jurors to submit written questions for witnesses after review with counsel. The court also has a uniform protective order available for use in cases involving confidential information.