Susan Paradise Baxter
Susan Rose Paradise Baxter (born September 20, 1956) is a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. She was formerly a United States Magistrate Judge of the same court. Early life and education. Susan Paradise Baxter was born September 20, 1956, in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. She received her Bachelor of Science from Pennsylvania State University in 1978, her Master of Education from Temple University in 1980, and her Juris Doctor from the Temple University Beasley School of Law in 1983. Professional career. She began her practice in Washington, D.C. , at the firm of Cole, Raywid and Braverman, now Davis Wright Tremaine, where she became a partner in 1989. Her practice consisted of commercial litigation, antitrust litigation and contracts. In 1992, she served as the Court Solicitor for the Erie County Court of Common Pleas, representing the judges on the court. Later in 1996, she was elected the Director-At-Large of the Federal Magistrate Judges Association. Federal judicial service. Magistrate judge tenure. She became a United States Magistrate Judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania on January 20, 1995. She became the Chief  Magistrate Judge in June 2005 and served until 2009. Her tenure as a magistrate judge ended on September 10, 2018, when she became a district judge. District court service. Expired district court nomination under Obama. On July 30, 2015, President Barack Obama nominated Baxter to serve as a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, to the seat vacated by Sean J. McLaughlin who resigned on August 16, 2013. She received a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on December 9, 2015. On January 28, 2016, her nomination was reported out  of committee by voice vote. Her nomination expired on January 3, 2017, with the end of the 114th Congress. Renomination to district court under Trump. On December 20, 2017, her renomination by President Donald Trump was announced and sent to the Senate. She was renominated to the same seat. On February 15, 2018, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to report her nomination by voice vote. On August 28, 2018, her nomination was confirmed by voice vote. She received her judicial commission on September 10, 2018. Notable cases. In "Pennsylvania General Energy Company, LLC v. Grant Township", she found against Grant  Township, Pennsylvania and in favor of Pennsylvania General Energy, LLC (PGE) in its claim that the Township's prohibition on injection wells violated the corporation's constitutional rights. The Township was represented by the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund in the case, which was profiled in "Rolling Stone" magazine in May 2017. Personal life. She is married to Donald L. Baxter Jr. and has two children.