James Edward Shadid
How Judge Shadid rules, drawn from 5 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
Judge Shadid no longer sits on this court. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled here.
About Judge Shadid
James Edward Shadid was a judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois. Appointed by President Barack Obama, Judge Shadid received a commission on March 10, 2011. Judge Shadid assumed senior status on September 27, 2024 and retired on April 1, 2025.
How Judge Shadid decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
In Cochran v. Smith & Nephew, Shadid granted the manufacturer summary judgment on limitations grounds after the plaintiff’s deposition confirmed that she knew of the injury and its possible cause by the time of her revision surgery.
“at a minimum, Ms. Cochran knew that her injury was caused by the acts of another by the time of her revision surgery on November 18, 2010; a fact she confirmed in her deposition.”
Procedural preferences
In United States ex rel. Gravett v. Methodist Medical Center, Shadid dismissed the qui tam claims under Rule 9(b) because the relator did not identify an actual submitted false claim. He denied further leave after three chances to plead the claim with sufficient detail.
“Having had three opportunities to provide sufficient detail of his claims, the Court is now of the opinion that Gravett will never be able to do so, and the Motions to Dismiss are granted.”
In Wood v. Peoria School District 150, Shadid noted defects in the plaintiff’s summary-judgment response under Local Rule 7.1(D)(2) but overlooked them because the undisputed facts independently showed an essential element of her claim was missing.
“because the undisputed facts provide a sufficient basis to conclude that Plaintiff cannot establish an essential element of her claim”
Cautions
A Sec.1983 occupational-liberty claim fails without a tangible loss of employment: re-employment in a comparable job (here within ~a year) defeats 'blacklisting,' and available CBA grievance procedures satisfy due process even post-termination.
“Wood's year-long hiatus from teaching did not amount to a tangible loss of employment sufficient to support her liberty interest claim. She was not 'blacklisted' from the profession”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“the Motion to Dismiss [14] is GRANTED and the alternative request for summary judgment is MOOT. This matter is DISMISSED for failure to state a claim upon which relief could be granted.”
“The City's Motion for Summary Judgment [77] is GRANTED IN PART and DENIED IN PART, and the Motion for Summary Judgment by Defendant Titus [78] is GRANTED IN PART and DENIED IN PART.”
“Methodist's Motion to Dismiss [100] is GRANTED, and CES's Motion to Dismiss [98] is GRANTED.”
“For the reasons set forth below, Defendant's Motion is Granted.”
“For the reasons stated above, Defendant's [17] Motion for Summary Judgment is GRANTED. This matter is now terminated.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
Median case duration in the sampled dockets: 276.0 days (N = 20).
Median motion-to-ruling time: 140 days (N = 1).
The reviewed 2020 and 2024-2025 matters provide a descriptive caseload mix rather than an exhaustive census.
Pending matters in the official report
Judge Shadid was last listed in the Civil Justice Reform Act report as of March 31, 2025.
| Motions pending more than six months | 3 |
| Bench trials submitted more than six months | 0 |
| Bankruptcy appeals pending more than six months | 0 |
| Social Security appeals pending more than six months | 0 |
| Civil cases pending more than three years | 12 |
| Report | Motions over six months | Cases over three years |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 2025 | 3 | 12 |
| Sep 2024 | 2 | 16 |
| Mar 2024 | 4 | 13 |
| Sep 2023 | 1 | 8 |
| Mar 2023 | 2 | 15 |
| Sep 2022 | 1 | 15 |
| Mar 2022 | 7 | 18 |
| Sep 2021 | 14 | 12 |
| Mar 2021 | 11 | 12 |
| Sep 2020 | 1 | 8 |
A snapshot on that date: matters listed may since have been decided or reassigned. A motion referred to a magistrate judge is counted for both judges. Motions in multidistrict litigation, section 2255 cases and Social Security appeals are not counted, and a very large three-year count is generally a multidistrict docket. Source: Appendix A of the report (PDF); about the report.
A historical record
Judge Shadid no longer sits on this court. This profile stays available as a record of how they ruled here. If you're preparing for a matter, start from the court's current bench.