---
title: "Susan Graber | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/susan-graber"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-09"
---

# Susan Graber

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit · U.S. Circuit Judge

## Profile

- Court: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- State: National federal courts
- Role: U.S. Circuit Judge
- Service status: senior
- Last verified: 2026-07-25

## Summary

Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.

## Biography

### Professional career

- Graber has held the role of a Senior Judge on the Ninth Circuit since December 15, 2021, after 23 years on the active bench.
- Ninth Circuit: Judge (1998–2021), then Senior Judge (2021–present)
- Judge, Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 1998-present
- Susan P. Graber is a senior judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1998 and elevated to senior status in 2021
- Oregon Supreme Court: Associate Justice (1990–1998), appointed by Governor Neil Goldschmidt
- Presiding judge, Oregon Court of Appeals, Department 3, 1988-1990
- Was a state district court judge pro tempore and a mediator for the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon (1986–1988)
- Assistant attorney general, Legal Division, New Mexico Bureau of Revenue, 1972-1974
- Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

### Education

- Yale University — J.D. (1972)

### Additional information

- A Portland resident since 1978, Graber has been active in Congregation Beth Israel and community service.
- Nominated on July 30, 1997 to fill a seat vacated by Edward Leavy, confirmed by the Senate on March 17, 1998, and commissioned on March 19, 1998.
- Private practice, Portland, OR, 1978-1988
- Private practice, Cincinnati, OH, 1975-1978
- Private practice, Santa Fe, NM, 1974-1975
- Born 1949 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to a Jewish family, Graber obtained a B.A. in 1969 from Wellesley College (Phi Beta Kappa) and a J.D. in 1972 from Yale Law School.
- Date of birth: 1949-01-01
- She was a classmate of Hillary Rodham Clinton and Bill Clinton during her Yale years.
- She and her husband, Bill June, enjoy birdwatching at Sauvie Island and spending time with their daughter, Rachel, a lawyer in California.
- Birth place: Oklahoma City, OK

## Before you appear

- Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed.
- Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance.
- Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding.

## Courtroom Rules

### appellate oral argument

Scope: courtwide

In federal courts of appeals, oral argument is allowed unless a three-judge panel unanimously finds one of Rule 34's specified grounds for dispensing with it; the clerk provides the date, time, place, and time allocation.

Evidence excerpt: Oral argument must be allowed in every case unless a panel of three judges who have examined the briefs and record unanimously agrees that oral argument is unnecessary

[Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34, Oral Argument](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-appellate-procedure)
Source checked: 2026-07-26


## Sources

- [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1390626)
- [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1390626)
- [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1390626)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1256/susan-graber/)
- [Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 34, Oral Argument](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-appellate-procedure)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1256/susan-graber/)
- [Wikidata: Susan P. Graber](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7648262)

## JSON-LD

```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@graph": [
    {
      "@type": "WebPage",
      "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/susan-graber",
      "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/susan-graber",
      "name": "Susan Graber | KnowJudges",
      "description": "Susan Graber, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.",
      "dateModified": "2026-10-09",
      "isPartOf": {
        "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website"
      },
      "mainEntity": {
        "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/susan-graber#judge"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Person",
      "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/susan-graber#judge",
      "name": "Susan Graber",
      "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/susan-graber",
      "jobTitle": "U.S. Circuit Judge",
      "worksFor": {
        "@type": "GovernmentOrganization",
        "name": "U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit"
      },
      "sameAs": [
        "https://www.fjc.gov/node/1390626",
        "https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1256/susan-graber/"
      ],
      "birthDate": "1949",
      "birthPlace": "Oklahoma City, OK",
      "alumniOf": [
        {
          "@type": "EducationalOrganization",
          "name": "Wellesley College"
        },
        {
          "@type": "EducationalOrganization",
          "name": "Yale University"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
      "itemListElement": [
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 1,
          "name": "KnowJudges",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 2,
          "name": "National federal courts",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/national-federal-courts"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 3,
          "name": "Susan Graber",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/susan-graber"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}
```