Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, John E. Childress, is now appointed as the top federal prosecutor, following the resignation of former United States Attorney Josh Minkler on November 18, 2020. As the Chief Federal Law Enforcement Officer for the District, U.S. Attorney Childress leads the Office with a mission to prevent crime, bring about fair and just prosecution processes, educate and inform the public, and conduct federal and local law enforcement training, all to ensure that justice is served in the Southern District of Indiana.
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Education
A native of Indianapolis, United States Attorney Childress is a graduate of Indiana University, receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science in 1987. Three years later, he earned his Juris Doctorate from Duke University in 1990.
Legal Career
Subsequent to earning his J.D., United States Attorney John E. Childress launched his legal career by joining the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois as a Law Clerk to the U.S. District Court Judge Richard Mills. Following his internship, through the years of 1991 to 2001, United States Attorney Childress served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Illinois and then joined the private sector in the latter part of the decade. In 2001, John E. Childress decided to return to the United States Attorney’s Office of the Central District of Illinois and became the U.S. Attorney.
In May of 2004, U.S. Attorney Childress served in the Illinois National Guard and became one of the Guard members deployed to Iraq. In this capacity, United States Attorney John E. Childress served the Judge Advocate General’s Office until he was wounded in a bombing during a mission on February 28, 2005. His service then ended in August of 2005, to which U.S. Attorney Childress was awarded a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star, and a Combat Action Badge by the United States Armed Forces.
Two years following the end of his service to the Illinois National Guard, United States Attorney John E. Childress was appointed as an Associate Circuit Judge of the Sangamon County, where he served for six years, from 2007 to 2013. He resigned the post in 2013 to return to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of Illinois as the U.S. Attorney’s Criminal Chief, joining the Joint Terrorism Task Force. Along with being the Chief of the Division, U.S. Attorney Childress was also a Branch Supervisor for the Springfield Office of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of Illinois.
Four years later, John E. Childress was appointed by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions to be lead the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the 46-county Central District of Illinois. For the time being, U.S. Attorney Childress was responsible for the office that led the capital city; however, he decided to resign from the post a year after. It was confirmed by Tim Horty – a spokesman for the United States Office for the Southern District of Indiana, that John E. Childress is to join the Office effective November 13, 2018. Prior to being the interim United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, Mr. Childress first served as a Supervisor in the Civil Division of the Indianapolis U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Bar and Court Admissions
United States Attorney John E. Childress has been granted admission to several courts and bars throughout his legal career, including the Indiana and Illinois State Bar Association since 1990 and 1992, respectively. U.S. Attorney Childress was also permitted to practice law in the jurisdiction and before several courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court in 1994, the U.S. District Court of both the Central and Southern Districts of Illinois, as well as in the U.S. Court of Appeals all in 1992, and the U.S. District Court of the Northern and Southern Districts of Indiana in 1990.
Office Jurisdiction
As the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, John E. Childress is responsible for managing and supervising the Office, which has jurisdiction over sixty counties of the state’s southern part. The United States Attorney’s Office is also in charge of federal crimes involving public corruption, firearms, financial fraud, and narcotics, among others. Moreover, U.S. Attorney Childress shall now represent the United States, along with agencies of the United States, in both civil and criminal cases, and shall also argue on behalf of the United States to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
Contact Details
Full Name: John Edward Childress
District/State: Southern District of Indiana
Public email ID: john.childress@usdoj.gov
Indianapolis Office
United States Attorney’s Office
10 W Market St, Suite 2100
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 226-6333
Main
(317) 226-6125
Fax
(888) 368-5067
Toll-Free
(317) 226-5438
TTY
Evansville Office
United States Attorney’s Office
101 NW MLK Blvd, Suite 250
Evansville, IN 47708
(812) 465-6475
Main
(812) 465-6444
Fax
(812) 465-6441
TTY
Social Media Profiles
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Tag: @SDINnews
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Updated: December 1, 2020
Zachary A. Myers is the next State’s Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. His biography can be found here.
Updated: March 23 2022