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James B. Zagel (from the October, 1991 evaluation)

Judge Zagel, 50, was appointed by President Reagan in 1987, on the recommendations of Representative Michel. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1965. Judge Zagel was an Assistant State’s Attorney in Cook County upon graduation from law school. From 1969 to 1977, he was an Assistant Attorney General in Illinois, except for six months in 1975, when he was Chief Assistant to then-Arizona Attorney General Bruce Babbitt. In 1977, Gov. Thompson named Judge Zagel Executive Director of the Illinois Law Enforcement Commission, and in 1979 he became Director of the Illinois Department of Revenue. In 1980, he became Director of the Department of Law Enforcement, which later became the Department of State Police.

Judge Zagel is an intelligent, tough-minded jurist. Lawyers report that he knows the law well, understands the issues that are presented to him, and easily separates the wheat from the chaff. He is capable of writing good opinions, and can work hard on a particular case. Most lawyers report that he conducts trials well, and that he has a good temperament. Lawyers generally describe Judge Zagel as diligent, although there are some complaints that he can be slow to decide motions.

Judge Zagel has a very large backlog of pending civil cases. Some lawyers ascribe this to his willingness to allow attorneys to set their own pace for a case. If lawyers do not wish to push a case is trial, he is more willing than some judges to tolerate delays. On the other hand, if lawyers are pushing a case forward, he is usually willing and able to accommodate them. He can be creative and interventionist in moving cases along, and is effective during settlement conferences..

While most lawyers view Judge Zagel as fair, some lawyers are concerned that he will bring a political agenda to bear in certain classes of cases. He is viewed as very prosecution-oriented. He is also viewed as unsympathetic to civil rights plaintiffs. Many lawyers claim he will stretch the law to meet his political views, or his own notion of what is fair in a particular case.

With Judge Zagel’s skill and creativity, he should be capable of reducing his backlog and keeping his docket more current. On balance, most lawyers consider him to be a very good judge.

I found this information on him. Not sure if being appointed by Reagan it meant that politically he is conservative? Tough to tell since he went to Harvard which to me is a bad thing!