--- title: "Susan Kim DeClercq | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/susan-kim-declercq" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # Susan Kim DeClercq U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan - State: Michigan - Role: Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - On May 3, 2023, President Biden nominated DeClercq to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, replacing Judge Stephanie D. Davis - U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan, appointed by President Joe Biden in 2023 and confirmed by the Senate 52–42, making her the first federal judge of East Asian descent in Michigan - Assistant U.S. attorney, Eastern District of Michigan, 2004-2022 - Law clerk, Hon. Avern L. Cohn, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, 1999-2001 ### Education - J.D., magna cum laude, from Wayne State University Law School in 1999 - University of Michigan in — B.A. (1995) ### Additional information - Director and counsel, special investigations, Ford Motor Co., Dearborn, Michigan, 2022-2023 - Civil Rights Unit, 2010-2022; chief, Civil Rights Unit, 2014-2022; chief, Civil Division, 2022 - Defensive Litigation Unit, 2004-2010 - Private practice, Washington, D.C., 2001-2004 - Her appointment is historically notable as the first federal judge of East Asian descent in Michigan. ## 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/13761066) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761066) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761066) - [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) - [Judge Susan Kim DeClercq](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761066) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/susan-kim-declercq", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/susan-kim-declercq", "name": "Susan Kim DeClercq | KnowJudges", "description": "Susan Kim DeClercq, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-08", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/susan-kim-declercq#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/susan-kim-declercq#judge", "name": "Susan Kim DeClercq", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/susan-kim-declercq", "jobTitle": "Judge", "worksFor": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761066" ], "alumniOf": [ { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "University of Michigan" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Wayne State University Law School" } ] }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "KnowJudges", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Michigan", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/michigan" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Susan Kim DeClercq", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/susan-kim-declercq" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 256 | 7 | Not available | 7 | | 2y | 461 | 65 | 1.9 | 65 | | 5y | 577 | 144 | 3.4 | 144 | | 10y | 577 | 144 | 3.4 | 144 | 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.