Susan Laura Carney (born September 16, 1951) is an American lawyer who serves as a
Senior United States circuit judge
In the United States, federal judges are judges who serve on courts established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. They include the chief justice and the associate justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, the circuit judges of the U.S. ...
of the
United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (in case citations, 2d Cir.) is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals. Its territory comprises the states of Connecticut, New York and Vermont. The court has appellate ju ...
.
Early life and education
Born in
Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, and was an early center for the labor movement as well as a major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, ...
, Carney grew up attending public schools in Lexington and Weston, Massachusetts. She earned a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...
degree from
Harvard College
Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...
, ''cum laude'', in 1973, and a
Juris Doctor from
Harvard Law School, ''magna cum laude'', in 1977. After graduating from law school, Carney worked as a
law clerk for Judge
Levin H. Campbell of the
United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
[President Obama Names Susan L. Carney to U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit]
, ''whitehouse.gov
whitehouse.gov (also simply known as wh.gov) is the official website of the White House and is managed by the Office of Digital Strategy. It was launched on July 29, 1994 by the Clinton administration.
The content of the website is in the ...
'' (May 20, 2010).
Professional career
From 1979 until 1986, Carney was an attorney at Rogovin, Huge & Lenzner in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, first as an associate and later as a partner. She worked on litigation in federal courts and provided business counsel, primarily for large nonprofit organizations. In 1986, Carney joined two other Rogovin partners to form the Washington, D.C. office of the Los Angeles-based firm of Tuttle & Taylor. She was subsequently Of Counsel to the D.C. labor law firm of Bredhoff & Kaiser, where she engaged in an appellate practice. From 1996 to 1998, Carney served as Associate General Counsel of the
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John F ...
.
[
Carney moved from Washington to Connecticut in 1998, and at that point joined ]Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
in the school's general counsel's office. In 2001, she became Yale's Deputy General Counsel.[ In this capacity, she was the second-ranking legal officer of a leading educational and research institution with an annual budget of more than $2 billion. Her work for Yale addressed many areas covered by federal law, including scientific research, intellectual property, and health care. Her practice also focused on Yale's international affiliations and transactions. She served as Yale's Acting General Counsel from July to December 2008.
Carney is a member of the Connecticut, District of Columbia, and Massachusetts bars and served on the board of directors of the National Association of college & University Attorneys.][
]
Federal judicial service
On May 20, 2010, President Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...
nominated Carney to the seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (in case citations, 2d Cir.) is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals. Its territory comprises the states of Connecticut, New York and Vermont. The court has appellate ju ...
that was vacated by Judge Barrington D. Parker Jr., who assumed senior status
Senior status is a form of semi- retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of service as a federal judge must be at leas ...
in October 2009. In announcing the nomination, President Obama stated, “At every step of her career, Susan Carney has performed with excellence and unwavering integrity. I am confident she will serve the people of Connecticut with distinction on the Circuit Court bench."[ On May 17, 2011, the ]United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
confirmed Carney's nomination by a 71–28 vote. She received her commission on May 17, 2011. She entered duty as a Circuit Judge on June 21, 2011.
On November 5, 2021, Carney announced that she would assume senior status upon the confirmation of her successor. She assumed senior status on September 27, 2022.
Personal life
Carney has five brothers. Her mother, Cleo Carney, and father, John R. Carney, both served in the United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Carney, Susan Laura
1951 births
Living people
20th-century American women lawyers
20th-century American lawyers
21st-century American judges
21st-century American women lawyers
21st-century American lawyers
21st-century American women judges
Harvard Law School alumni
Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
People from Waltham, Massachusetts
United States court of appeals judges appointed by Barack Obama
Harvard College alumni