James R. Knepp II

James Ray Knepp II (born 1964) is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio and a former United States magistrate judge of the same court.

Education

Knepp earned his Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, from Mount Union College, his Master of Arts from Bowling Green State University, and his Juris Doctor, summa cum laude, from the University of Toledo College of Law, where he was a member of the editorial board for the University of Toledo Law Review.

Career

Upon graduating from law school, Knepp served as a law clerk to Judge John William Potter of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. He then worked as a litigation attorney for fifteen years with the law firm Robison, Curphey & O’Connell in Toledo, Ohio.

On February 26, 2020, President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Knepp to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. A hearing on his nomination before the Senate Judiciary Committee was held on July 29, 2020. On September 17, 2020, his nomination was reported out of committee by a 17–5 vote. On November 9, 2020, the United States Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 62–23 vote. On November 10, 2020, his nomination was confirmed by a 64–24 vote. He received his judicial commission on November 13, 2020.