The Hon. James R. Ahler is a judge for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Indiana. He was appointed to the bench by the judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on June 16, 2017, filling a vacancy created by the retirement of the Hon. Philip J. Klingeberger.
Prior to his appointment, Ahler was a judge for the Jasper County Superior Court, a position to which he was named in 2007. Before that, he spent time as an attorney at Scandaglia & Ryan in Chicago, handling commercial litigation, appellate, and criminal defense matters in both state and federal courts.
Ahler earned a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University Bloomington in 1992. He then completed a J.D. at Saint Louis University School of Law in 1996. He is admitted to practice in Indiana (1997) and Illinois (2000).
After graduating from law school, Ahler began his legal career as a judicial law clerk to the Hon. Michael Kanne and the Hon. William Bauer of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
His memberships have included the American Bar Association, the Indiana State Bar Association, the Jasper County Bar Association, the Indiana Judges Association, and the Indiana Public Defender Commission. He has also been involved with the Indiana Judicial Community Relations Committee and the Indiana Judicial Strategic Planning Committee.
He is registered as a Republican.