Susan Kim DeClercq (born 1974) is an American lawyer from Michigan who is the designate to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Early life and education
DeClercq's biological mother left her on the steps of a hospital in Seoul, South Korea, and she was adopted and raised by a single mother in the United States. DeClercq received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan in 1995 and a Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from Wayne State University Law School in 1999.
Career
From 1999 to 2001, DeClercq served as a law clerk for Judge Avern Cohn of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. From 2001 to 2004, she was a litigation associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in Washington, D.C. From 2004 to 2022, she was an assistant United States attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan. She served as Chief of the Civil Division and Chief of the Civil Rights Unit in her role, enforcing laws prohibiting discrimination. Since 2022, she has been director and counsel of special investigations at Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Michigan.
Nomination to district court
On May 3, 2023, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate DeClercq to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. On May 4, 2023, her nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated DeClercq to the seat vacated by Judge Stephanie D. Davis, who was elevated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit on June 14, 2022. On June 7, 2023, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee. On July 13, 2023, her nomination was reported out of the committee by a 12–9 vote. On October 4, 2023, the United States Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 54–44 vote. Later that day, her nomination was confirmed by a 52–42 vote. She is awaiting her judicial commission. Once commissioned, DeClercq would be the first federal judge of East Asian descent in Michigan.