[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 163 (Wednesday, October 4, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S4935]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                    Nomination of Susan Kim DeClercq

  Ms. STABENOW. Madam President, I rise today to strongly support the 
nomination of Susan DeClercq, whom President Biden nominated to serve 
as the U.S. District judge for the Eastern District of Michigan; and we 
will be having that vote shortly.
  One of the things that people consistently say about Ms. DeClercq is 
how warm and personable she is. She is, in a word, kind, but don't let 
that fool you. She can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the courtroom. Ms. 
DeClercq is a proud graduate of the University of Michigan and Wayne 
State University School of Law.
  Her first job out of law school was serving as a clerk to U.S. 
District Judge Avern L. Cohn. Judge Cohn was a force of nature who 
spent 40 years on the Federal bench, retiring at age 95. He was a bit 
gruff, but he had an open mind and an open heart--two attributes Ms. 
DeClercq has carried throughout her career that spans the public and 
the private sectors.
  Currently, she is director and counsel for special investigations at 
Ford Motor Company. Before that, she spent 18 years in the U.S. 
Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan in a variety of 
leadership roles, including as Chief of the Civil Division.
  She has fought to protect people's civil rights over and over and 
over again--an example: a Michigan family that was literally kicked out 
of a restaurant because their children suffered from a genetic skin 
disease. She successfully represented an auxiliary firefighter, a U.S. 
Army reservist who was denied a promotion, which was extended to 
coworkers with less experience, after he returned from Active Duty in 
Afghanistan.
  In all of her cases, she has won the respect of everyone in the 
courtroom. As one Michigan lawyer said: If I had to lose to anybody in 
litigation, I am glad it was Ms. DeClercq.
  It is worth noting that, if confirmed, Susan DeClercq will be 
Michigan's first Federal judge of East Asian descent. Susan DeClercq is 
an outstanding nominee who received bipartisan support during her 
cloture vote earlier today.
  I urge my colleagues to support her confirmation.
  I yield the floor, and I would ask unanimous consent that the 
scheduled vote begin immediately.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.