Susan Paradise Baxter

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Susan Baxter

| image = JudgeBaxter.jpg

| office = Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania

| term_start = September 10, 2018

| term_end =

| appointer = Donald Trump

| predecessor = Sean J. McLaughlin

| successor =

| office1 = Chief Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania

| term_start1 = 2005

| term_end1 = 2009

| office2 = Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania

| term_start2 = January 20, 1995

| term_end2 = September 10, 2018

| predecessor2 =

| successor2 = Richard A. Lanzillo

| birth_name = Susan Rose Paradise

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1956|09|20}}

| birth_place = Latrobe, Pennsylvania, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| education = Pennsylvania State University (BS)
Temple University (MEd, JD)

| party = Democratic{{Cite web|url=https://vettingroom.org/2021/08/23/where-we-stand-assessing-vacancies-and-nominations-in-the-federal-judiciary-the-atlantic-coast/|title = Where We Stand: Assessing Vacancies and Nominations in the Federal Judiciary – the Atlantic Coast|date = August 23, 2021}}

}}

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.{{cite web | url=http://www.pawd.uscourts.gov/Documents/Judge/baxter_B.pdf | title=Biography and Court Practice Magistrate Judge Susan Paradise Baxter | publisher=United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania | access-date=July 31, 2015 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161212093219/http://www2.pawd.uscourts.gov/Documents/Judge/baxter_B.pdf | archive-date=December 12, 2016 | df=mdy-all }} 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., as an associate at the firm of Cole, Raywid and Braverman, now Davis Wright Tremaine, where she became a partner in 1989. Her practice consisted of commercial law, antitrust litigation and contract law.

In 1992, she served as the Court Solicitor for the Erie County Court of Common Pleas, representing the judges on the court.

Federal judicial service

File:Magistrate Susan Paradise Baxter.JPG

She became a United States magistrate judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania on January 20, 1995. Later in 1996, she was elected the Director-At-Large of the Federal Magistrate Judges Association.[https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2015/07/30/president-obama-nominates-seven-serve-united-states-district-courts "President Obama Nominates Seven to Serve on the United States District Courts" White House, July 30, 2015] 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.

= 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.[https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2015/07/30/presidential-nominations-sent-senate "Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate" White House, July 30, 2015] She received a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on December 9, 2015 and her nomination generated no controversy.[http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/meetings/nominations-12-9-15 United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Nominations for December 9, 2015] On January 28, 2016, her nomination was reported out of committee by voice vote.[http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Results%20of%20Executive%20Business%20Meeting%20-%20January%2028,%202016.pdf Results of Executive Business Meeting – January 28, 2016, Senate Judiciary Committee] 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 as part of a bipartisan package of nominees which included Marilyn Horan and Chad Kenney.[https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/president-donald-j-trump-announces-ninth-wave-judicial-nominees-tenth-wave-united-states-attorney-nominees/ " President Donald J. Trump Announces Ninth Wave of Judicial Nominees and Tenth Wave of United States Attorney Nominees " White House, December 20, 2017] {{PD-notice}} She was renominated to the same seat.[https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/eight-nominations-sent-senate-today-3/ "Eight Nominations Sent to the Senate Today" White House, December 20, 2017] On February 15, 2018, the Senate Judiciary Committee reported her nomination by voice vote.{{Cite web|url=https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/02-15-18%20Results%20of%20Executive%20Business%20Meeting.pdf|title=Results of Executive Business Meeting – February 15, 2018|publisher=Senate Judiciary Committee}} On August 28, 2018, her nomination was confirmed by voice vote.{{Cite web|url=https://www.congress.gov/nomination/115th-congress/1329|title=PN1329 — Susan Paradise Baxter — The Judiciary|date=December 20, 2017|website=United States Senate|access-date=August 28, 2018}} She received her judicial commission on September 10, 2018.{{FJC Bio|nid=5153456|inline=yes}}

Notable cases

In Pennsylvania General Energy Company, LLC v. Grant Township in 2015, 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.{{Citation|title=Pennsylvania General Energy Company, Llc v. Grant Township|date=March 31, 2017|url=https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=1448944589415250806&q=Pennsylvania+General+Energy+Company,+LLC+v.+Grant+Township&hl=en&as_sdt=6,33&as_vis=1|issue=C.A. No. 14-209ERIE|access-date=January 7, 2018}}{{Cite news|url=https://celdf.org/2018/01/press-release-federal-court-sanctions-lawyers-defending-communitys-right-say-no-frack-wastewater-injection-wells/|title=Press Release: Federal Court Sanctions Lawyers for Defending Community's Right to Say "No" to Frack Wastewater Injection Wells {{!}} CELDF|date=January 5, 2018|work=CELDF|access-date=January 7, 2018|language=en-US}}{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/how-a-small-town-is-standing-up-to-fracking-w482577#|title=How a Small Town Is Standing Up to Fracking|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=January 7, 2018}} The Township was represented by the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund{{Cite web|url=https://celdf.org|title=CELDF – Community Rights Movement Pioneers|website=CELDF|language=en-US|access-date=January 7, 2018}} in the case, which was profiled in Rolling Stone magazine in May 2017.