Susan DeClercq

Eastern District of Michigan
	Sixth Circuit
Judgeships
	Posts: 15
	Judges: 15
	Vacancies: 0
Judges
	Chief: Sean Cox
	Active judges: Terrence Berg, Sean Cox, Susan DeClercq, Mark Goldsmith, Jonathan Grey, Frances Kay Behm, Shalina Kumar, Matthew Frederick Leitman, Judith Ellen Levy, Thomas Ludington, Brandy McMillion, Laurie Michelson, Stephen Murphy, Linda V. Parker, Robert White; Senior judges:; Paul Borman, Robert Cleland, Gershwin Drain, Nancy Edmunds, Bernard Friedman, Denise Hood, David Lawson, John O'Meara, George Steeh

Nomination Tracker
Nominee Information
	Name: Susan DeClercq
	Court: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
Progress
	Confirmed 153 days after nomination.
	Nominated: May 4, 2023
	ABA Rating: Qualified
	Questionnaire: Questionnaire
	Hearing: June 7, 2023
	Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript
	QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more)
	Reported: July 13, 2023
	Confirmed: October 4, 2023
	Vote: 52-42

Susan DeClercq is a judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. She was nominated to the court by President Joe Biden (D) on May 4, 2023, and confirmed by the United States Senate on October 4, 2023, by a vote of 52-42.^[1]^[2] To see a full list of judges appointed by Joe Biden, click here.

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan is one of 94 U.S. District Courts. They are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the court, click here.

Prior to joining the court, DeClercq was the Director and Counsel of Special Investigations at Ford Motor Company in Dearborn.^[1]

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (2023-present)

See also: Federal judges nominated by Joe Biden

On May 4, 2023, President Joe Biden (D) nominated DeClercq to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. DeClercq received commission on November 9, 2023.^[2]^[1] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.

Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed DeClercq by a vote of 52-42 on October 4, 2023.^[1] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.

DeClercq confirmation vote (October 4, 2023)
Party	Yea	Nay	No vote
Democratic	47	0	1
Republican	2	42	5
Independent	3	0	0
Total	52^[3]	42	6

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

DeClercq was reported to the full Senate on July 13, 2023, after a 12-9 committee vote.^[1]Click here for a list of other nominees awaiting a committee vote.

Nomination

On May 4, 2023, President Joe Biden (D) nominated DeClercq to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.^[1]

DeClercq was nominated to replace Judge Stephanie Dawkins Davis, who left office on May 24, 2022, after her elevation to the 6th Circuit.^[4]

The American Bar Association (ABA) rated DeClercq Qualified.^[5] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.

Biography

Bildung

DeClercq earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan in 1995, and a law degree from Wayne State University Law School in 1999.^[2]

Professional career

2023-present: Judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
2022-2023: Director and counsel, special investigations, Ford Motor Co., Dearborn, Michigan
2004-2022: Assistant U.S. attorney, Eastern District of Michigan
- 2022: Civil Division, chief
- 2014-2022: Civil Rights Unit, chief
- 2010-2022: Civil Rights Unit
- 2004-2010: Defensive Litigation Unit
2001-2004: Private practice, Washington, D.C.
1999-2001: Law clerk, Hon. Avern Cohn, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan^[2]

About the court

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan is one of 94 United States district courts. It was established by an act of Congress on December 24, 1863. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit based in downtown Cincinnati at the Potter A. Stewart Federal Courthouse and Building.

The Counties of the Eastern District of Michigan (click for larger map)

The Eastern District of Michigan has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.

The District Court is based in Detroit, with courthouses also located in Ann Arbor, Bay City, Flint, and Port Huron.

The geographic jurisdiction of the Eastern District of Michigan consists of all the following counties in the eastern part of the state of Michigan.

To read opinions published by this court, click here.

The federal nomination process

Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:

The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.

As part of this process, the committee sends a blue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.

After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.

If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.

The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.

If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.