An ethnic Korean who was adopted to the United States is expected to be appointed as a federal judge.
The Senate Judiciary Committee held a confirmation hearing on June 7 on the nomination of Susan Kim DeClercq (49).
On May 4, President Joe Biden nominated DeClercq to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
If confirmed by the Senate, she will be the first East Asian American to serve on a Michigan federal court.
Adopted to the United States from South Korea as a child, DeClercq attended law school at the University of Michigan and Wayne State University and served as a federal prosecutor for 18 years.
She then joined Ford Motor Company last year as the director of special investigations.
“Her work for the U.S. Attorney’s Office allowed her to personally represent service members, bringing numerous cases to protect and enforce the rights of members of the military,” says Gary Peters, senator for Michigan State, at the confirmation hearing.
“She would not only be an exemplary model for our state, she would also be Michigan’s first federal judge of East Asian descent, and I am proud to support her nomination to serve on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.”
“I’m very proud of being an immigrant,” DeClercq told the Senate Judiciary Committee. “I’ve always been very aware of how different my life would have been had that not happened and the incredible opportunities that this country has given to me.”
DeClercq has three children with her husband, Greg Kerr.
BY INSEONG CHOI [support@koreadaily.com]
