--- title: "Susan J. Dlott | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/susan-j-dlott" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Susan J. Dlott U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio - State: Ohio - Role: Judge - Service status: senior - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, District Court, S.D. Ohio, 1995-present - Senior United States district judge for the Southern District of Ohio, appointed in 1995 by President Bill Clinton and serving as Chief Judge from 2009 to 2015 before assuming senior status in 2018 - In 1979, Dlott joined the Cincinnati firm Graydon, Head & Ritchey, becoming its first female partner in 1981 - Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of Ohio (1975–1979) - Law clerk, Hon. Alvin Krenzler and Hon. Jack Day, Court of Appeals of Ohio, 1973-1974 - Official site: Southern District of Ohio — Judge Susan J. Dlott Southern District of Ohio ### Education ### Additional information - Judge Dlott has presided in the Southern District of Ohio since her appointment on December 26, 1995, after Senate confirmation on December 22, 1995. - She held the role of Chief Judge from 2009 to 2015 and took senior status on May 31, 2018. - Private practice, Cincinnati, OH, 1979-1995 - She clerked for Judges Jack G. Day and Alvin J. Krenzler of the Ohio Court of Appeals (1973–1974). - Born in Dayton, Ohio in 1949 to Jewish Russian immigrant parents, Dlott obtained a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania (1970) and a J.D. from Boston University School of Law (1973). - Date of birth: 1949-01-01 - United States federal judge - Over 16 years, she litigated high-profile civil and white-collar criminal cases, including a 59-defendant securities fraud trial and Bendectin litigation Southern District of Ohio - As a senior judge, Dlott continues to hear cases in the Southern District of Ohio and remains active in legal and professional organizations, including the Federal Bar Association and Ohio Bar Association - Birth place: Dayton, OH ## 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 ### civil remote testimony Scope: courtwide In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards. Evidence excerpt: For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location. [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### criminal recording and broadcasting Scope: courtwide Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception. Evidence excerpt: Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom. [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1380076) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1380076) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1380076) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/885/susan-j-dlott/) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/885/susan-j-dlott/) - [Wikidata: Susan J. Dlott](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7648009) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/susan-j-dlott", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/susan-j-dlott", "name": "Susan J. Dlott | KnowJudges", "description": "Susan J. Dlott, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. 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-j-dlott#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/susan-j-dlott#judge", "name": "Susan J. 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Dlott", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/susan-j-dlott" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 134 | 5 | Not available | 5 | | 2y | 204 | 36 | 2.6 | 36 | | 5y | 364 | 181 | 5.1 | 181 | | 10y | 1234 | 1051 | 6.4 | 1051 | Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/ ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-651872d6e45e0d82319ecccc) — Civil actions in United States District Courts; Rule 81 exceptions apply. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-civil-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8721a344fececced2257fe1d) — Criminal proceedings in United States District Courts; this conservative mapping does not distribute appellate-specific provisions to appellate judges. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.