Susan Bronwyn Owens Hickey (born September 26, 1955) is the chief United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas.

Susan O. Hickey
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas
Assumed office
February 14, 2019
Preceded byPaul K. Holmes III
Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas
Assumed office
October 19, 2011
Appointed byBarack Obama
Preceded byHarry F. Barnes
Judge for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit of Arkansas
In office
2010–2011
Personal details
Born
Susan Bronwyn Owens[1]

(1955-09-26) September 26, 1955 (age 69)
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Arkansas (BA, JD)

Early life and education

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Born in Dallas, Hickey earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1977 from the University of Arkansas and a Juris Doctor in 1980 from the University of Arkansas School of Law.[2][3]

Career

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Before pursuing a legal career, she served as a Bank teller for the United Federal Savings Bank in Springdale, Arkansas in 1978.[1]

Her legal career began in 1981 when she served as an attorney for a single trial while employed at Brown, Compton, and Prewett Ltd in El Dorado, Arkansas.[1]

From 1981 until 1984, Hickey worked as a staff attorney at Murphy Oil Corporation.[2] She then served as a career law clerk to Judge Harry F. Barnes of the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas until 2010.[2] In 2010, Hickey became an Arkansas Circuit Courts Judge on the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit.[2][3]

Federal judicial service

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On April 6, 2011, President Barack Obama nominated Hickey to a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas to fill the vacancy created when Harry F. Barnes assumed senior status in 2008.[4] On October 13, 2011, the United States Senate confirmed Hickey by an 83–8 vote.[5] She received her commission on October 19, 2011.[3] She became chief judge on February 14, 2019, succeeding Paul K. Holmes III.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Committee Questionnaire
  2. ^ a b c d The White House: Office of the Press Secretary (April 6, 2011). "President Obama Nominates Two to the United States District Court". whitehouse.gov. Retrieved April 8, 2011 – via National Archives.
  3. ^ a b c d Susan O. Hickey at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  4. ^ The White House: Office of the Press Secretary (April 6, 2011). "Nominations Sent to the Senate, 4/6/2011". whitehouse.gov. Retrieved April 8, 2011 – via National Archives.
  5. ^ "On the Nomination (Susan Owens Hickey, of Arkansas, to be United States District Judge)". senate.gov.
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Legal offices
Preceded by Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas
2011–present
Incumbent
Preceded by Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas
2019–present