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Susan Rodriguez
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2025 - Present
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Susan Rodriguez is a judge on the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina. She was nominated to the court by President Donald Trump (R) on September 15, 2025, and confirmed by the United States Senate on December 4, 2025, by a vote of 57-32.[1][2]To see a full list of judges appointed by Donald Trump, click here.
The United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina is one of 94 U.S. District Courts. They are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the court, click here.
Prior to joining the court, Rodriguez was a federal magistrate judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina. She was first appointed to this position on April 3, 2023.[3]
Judicial nominations and appointments
United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina (2025-present)
- See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump
On August 22, 2025, President Donald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Rodriguez to the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina.[3] She was officially nominated to the court on September 15, 2025. She was confirmed by a 57-32 vote of the U.S. Senate on December 4, 2025.[1] Rodriguez received commission on December 6, 2025.[2] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.
 |
| Nominee Information |
| Name: Susan Rodriguez |
| Court: United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 80 days after nomination. |
 Nominated: September 15, 2025
|
| ABA Rating: Well qualified
|
| Questionnaire: Questionnaire |
| Hearing: September 17, 2025
|
| Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript |
| QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| Reported: October 9, 2025
|
| Confirmed: December 4, 2025
|
| Vote: 57-32
|
Confirmation vote
The U.S. Senate confirmed Rodriguez by a vote of 57-32 on December 4, 2025.[1] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.
| Rodriguez confirmation vote (December 4, 2025) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Yea | Nay | No vote | ||||||
 Democratic |
10 | 31 | 4 | ||||||
 Republican |
46 | 0 | 7 | ||||||
 Independent |
1 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 57[4] | 32 | 11 | ||||||
Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Rodriguez's nomination on September 17, 2025. Orso was reported to the full Senate on October 9, 2025, after a 17-5 committee vote.[5]
Nomination
On August 22, 2025, President Donald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Susan Rodriguez to the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina. The president officially nominated Rodriguez on September 15, 2025.[1] Click here for a list of other nominees who have been nominated by President Donald Trump.
Rodriguez was nominated to replace Judge Frank Whitney, who assumed senior status on December 1, 2024.[6]
The American Bar Association (ABA) rated Rodriguez well qualified.[7] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.
Biography
Early life and education
Rodriguez was born in 1981 in Lebanon, Kentucky. She earned a bachelor's degree from Centre College in 2003 and a law degree from George Mason University School of Law (now Antonin Scalia Law School) in 2009.[2]
Professional career
- 2025-present: Judge, United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina
- 2023-2025: Federal magistrate judge
- 2011-2023: Private practice, Charlotte, North Carolina
- 2010: Adjunct professor for legal writing, Charlotte School of Law
- 2009-2011: Law clerk, Hon. Frank Whitney, United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina
- 2006-2011 (on leave 2009-2011): Policy advisor, U.S. Department of Homeland Security[2]
About the court
| Western District of North Carolina |
|---|
| Fourth Circuit |
|
| Judgeships |
| Posts: 5 |
| Judges: 5 |
| Vacancies: 0 |
| Judges |
| Chief: Martin Reidinger |
| Active judges: Kenneth Bell, Max O. Cogburn Jr., Matthew Orso, Martin Reidinger, Susan Rodriguez Senior judges: |
The United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina is one of 94 United States district courts. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit based in downtown Richmond, Virginia, at the Lewis F. Powell Federal Courthouse. The Western District of North Carolina has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.
The geographic jurisdiction of the Western District of North Carolina consists of all the following counties in the western part of the state of North Carolina.
There are four court divisions, each covering the following counties:
The Asheville Division, covering Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Cleveland, Haywood, Henderson, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, and Yancey counties
The Bryson Division, covering Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties
The Charlotte Division, covering Anson, Gaston, Mecklenburg, and Union counties
The Statesville Division, covering Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Caldwell, and Catawba, Iredell, Lincoln, Watauga, and Wilkes counties
To read opinions published by this court, click here.
The federal nomination process
Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:
- The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
- The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
- The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.
- As part of this process, the committee sends a blue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.
- After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.
- If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
- If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.
- The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.
- If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
- If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.
See also
- United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina
- United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina
- Biography from the Federal Judicial Center
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Congress.gov, "PN520-4 — Susan Courtwright Rodriguez — The Judiciary," accessed October 10, 2025
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 The Federal Judicial Center, "Rodriguez, Susan Courtwright," accessed December 4, 2025
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Truth Social, "Donald J. Trump," August 22, 2025
- ↑ Note: The bolded number reflects the largest number.
- ↑ U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, "RESULTS OF COMMITTEE EXECUTIVE BUSINESS MEETING," accessed October 9, 2025
- ↑ Frank Whitney biography from the Federal Judicial Center
- ↑ American Bar Association, "STANDING COMMITTEE ON THE FEDERAL JUDICIARY," accessed October 2, 2025
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Frank Whitney |
United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina 2025-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina 2023-2025 |
Succeeded by - |
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 |
Thomas Parker • Elizabeth Branch • Neil Gorsuch • Amul Thapar • David C. Nye • John K. Bush • Kevin Newsom • Timothy J. Kelly • Ralph Erickson • Scott Palk • Trevor McFadden • Joan Larsen • Amy Coney Barrett • Allison Eid • Stephanos Bibas • Donald Coggins Jr. • Dabney Friedrich • Greg Katsas • Steven Grasz • Don Willett • James Ho • William L. Campbell Jr. • David Stras • Tilman E. Self III • Karen Gren Scholer • Terry A. Doughty • Claria Horn Boom • John Broomes • Rebecca Grady Jennings • Kyle Duncan • Kurt Engelhardt • Michael B. Brennan • Joel Carson • Robert Wier • Fernando Rodriguez Jr. • Annemarie Carney Axon • | ||
| 2018 |
Andrew Oldham • Amy St. Eve • Michael Scudder • John Nalbandian • Mark Bennett • Andrew Oldham • Britt Grant • Colm Connolly • Maryellen Noreika • Jill Otake • Jeffrey Beaverstock • Emily Coody Marks • Holly Lou Teeter • Julius Richardson • Charles B. Goodwin • Barry Ashe • Stan Baker • A. Marvin Quattlebaum Jr. • Terry F. Moorer • Susan Baxter • William Jung • Alan Albright • Dominic Lanza • Eric Tostrud • Charles Williams • Nancy E. Brasel • James Sweeney • Kari A. Dooley • Marilyn J. Horan • Robert Summerhays • Brett Kavanaugh • David Porter • Liles Burke • Michael Juneau • Peter Phipps • Lance Walker • Richard Sullivan • Eli Richardson • Ryan Nelson • Chad F. Kenney, Sr. • Susan Brnovich • William M. Ray, II • Jeremy Kernodle • Thomas Kleeh • J.P. Hanlon • Mark Norris • Jonathan Kobes • Michael Brown • David Counts | ||
| 2019 |
Eric Miller • Chad Readler • Eric Murphy • Neomi Rao • Paul Matey • Allison Jones Rushing • Bridget S. Bade • Roy Altman • Patrick Wyrick • Holly Brady • David Morales • Andrew Brasher • J. Campbell Barker • Rodolfo Ruiz • Daniel Domenico • Michael Truncale • Michael Park • Joseph Bianco • Raúl Arias-Marxuach • Daniel Collins • Joshua Wolson • Wendy Vitter • Kenneth Kiyul Lee • Kenneth Bell • Stephen Clark • Howard Nielson • Rodney Smith • Jean-Paul Boulee • Sarah Daggett Morrison • Rossie Alston • Pamela A. Barker • Corey Maze • Greg Guidry • Matthew Kacsmaryk • Allen Winsor • Carl Nichols • James Cain, Jr. • Tom Barber • J. Nicholas Ranjan • Clifton L. Corker • Peter Phipps • Daniel Bress • Damon Leichty • Wendy W. Berger • Peter Welte • Michael Liburdi • William Shaw Stickman • Mark Pittman • Karin J. Immergut • Jason Pulliam • Brantley Starr • Brian Buescher • James Wesley Hendrix • Timothy Reif • Martha Pacold • Sean Jordan • Mary Rowland • John M. Younge • Jeff Brown • Ada Brown • Steven Grimberg • Stephanie A. Gallagher • Steven Seeger • Stephanie Haines • Mary McElroy • David J. Novak • Frank W. Volk • Charles Eskridge • Rachel Kovner • Justin Walker • T. Kent Wetherell • Danielle Hunsaker • Lee Rudofsky • Jennifer Philpott Wilson • William Nardini • Steven Menashi • Robert J. Luck • Eric Komitee • Douglas Cole • John Sinatra • Sarah Pitlyk • Barbara Lagoa • Richard Myers II • Sherri Lydon • Patrick Bumatay • R. Austin Huffaker • Miller Baker • Anuraag Singhal • Karen Marston • Jodi Dishman • Mary Kay Vyskocil • Matthew McFarland • John Gallagher • Bernard Jones • Kea Riggs • Robert J. Colville • Stephanie Dawkins Davis • Gary R. Brown • David Barlow • Lewis Liman | ||
| 2020 |
Lawrence VanDyke • Daniel Traynor • John Kness • Joshua Kindred • Philip Halpern • Silvia Carreno-Coll • Scott Rash • John Heil • Anna Manasco • John L. Badalamenti • Drew Tipton • Andrew Brasher • Cory Wilson • Scott Hardy • David Joseph • Matthew Schelp • John Cronan • Justin Walker • Brett H. Ludwig • Christy Wiegand • Thomas Cullen • Diane Gujarati • Stanley Blumenfeld • Mark Scarsi • John Holcomb • Stephen P. McGlynn • Todd Robinson • Hala Jarbou • David Dugan • Iain D. Johnston • Franklin U. Valderrama • John Hinderaker • Roderick Young • Michael Newman • Aileen Cannon • James Knepp • Kathryn Kimball Mizelle • Benjamin Beaton • Kristi Johnson • Toby Crouse • Philip Calabrese • Taylor McNeel • Thomas Kirsch • Stephen Vaden • Katherine Crytzer • Fernando Aenlle-Rocha • Charles Atchley • Joseph Dawson | ||
| 2025 |
Whitney Hermandorfer • Joshua Divine • Cristian M. Stevens • Zachary Bluestone • Emil Bove • Edward Artau • Kyle Dudek• Maria Lanahan• Jennifer Mascott• Anne-Leigh Gaylord Moe• Chad Meredith• Harold Mooty• Jordan Pratt• Edmund LaCour• Bill Lewis• Eric Tung• Rebecca Taibleson• Joshua D. Dunlap• Bill Mercer• Susan Rodriguez• Robert Chamberlin• Matthew Orso• David Bragdon | ||
Federal courts:
Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of North Carolina, Middle District of North Carolina, Western District of North Carolina • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of North Carolina, Middle District of North Carolina, Western District of North Carolina
State courts:
Supreme Court of North Carolina • North Carolina Court of Appeals • North Carolina Superior Courts • North Carolina District Courts
State resources:
Courts in North Carolina • North Carolina judicial elections • Judicial selection in North Carolina
