Susan Owens Hickey
Appointed by President Barack Obama in 2011 and confirmed by the Senate 83–8, Susan Owens Hickey is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas. She earned a law degree from University of Arkansas School of Law in 1981. Sources ↓
- Born
- 1955 · age 71
- Appointed by
- Barack Obama, 2011
- Confirmed
- 83–8
- Education
- University of Arkansas 1977 · University of Arkansas Law 1981
- Succeeded
- Harry F. Barnes
- Succeeded by
- John Thomas Shepherd
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Western District of Arkansas succeeded Harry F. Barnes | Obama (D) | 83–8 |
Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own.
Confirmation vote
Nomination Confirmed 83–8 on October 13, 2011 · 112th Congress, Roll Call 165. Each senator links to their judicial-voting record.
Voted to confirm · 83
46 D, 36 R, 1 I
- Daniel Akaka(D-HI)
- Lamar Alexander(R-TN)
- Kelly Ayotte(R-NH)
- John Barrasso(R-WY)
- Max Baucus(D-MT)
- Mark Begich(D-AK)
- Michael Bennet(D-CO)
- Jeff Bingaman(D-NM)
- Richard Blumenthal(D-CT)
- Roy Blunt(R-MO)
- John Boozman(R-AR)
- Sherrod Brown(D-OH)
- Scott Brown(R-MA)
- Maria Cantwell(D-WA)
- Benjamin Cardin(D-MD)
- Thomas Carper(D-DE)
- Bob Casey(D-PA)
- Saxby Chambliss(R-GA)
- Dan Coats(R-IN)
- Thad Cochran(R-MS)
- Susan Collins(R-ME)
- Kent Conrad(D-ND)
- Christopher Coons(D-DE)
- Bob Corker(R-TN)
- John Cornyn(R-TX)
- Mike Crapo(R-ID)
- Richard Durbin(D-IL)
- Michael Enzi(R-WY)
- Dianne Feinstein(D-CA)
- Al Franken(D-MN)
- Kirsten Gillibrand(D-NY)
- Lindsey Graham(R-SC)
- Orrin Hatch(R-UT)
- Dean Heller(R-NV)
- John Hoeven(R-ND)
- Kay Hutchison(R-TX)
- Jim Inhofe(R-OK)
- Daniel Inouye(D-HI)
- Johnny Isakson(R-GA)
- Mike Johanns(R-NE)
- Tim Johnson(D-SD)
- Ron Johnson(R-WI)
- John Kerry(D-MA)
- Mark Kirk(R-IL)
- Amy Klobuchar(D-MN)
- Herb Kohl(D-WI)
- Mary Landrieu(D-LA)
- Frank Lautenberg(D-NJ)
- Patrick Leahy(D-VT)
- Carl Levin(D-MI)
- Claire McCaskill(D-MO)
- Mitch McConnell(R-KY)
- Robert Menendez(D-NJ)
- Jeff Merkley(D-OR)
- Barbara Mikulski(D-MD)
- Jerry Moran(R-KS)
- Lisa Murkowski(R-AK)
- Patty Murray(D-WA)
- Bill Nelson(D-FL)
- Ben Nelson(D-NE)
- Rob Portman(R-OH)
- Mark Pryor(D-AR)
- Jack Reed(D-RI)
- Harry Reid(D-NV)
- James Risch(R-ID)
- Pat Roberts(R-KS)
- Jay Rockefeller(D-WV)
- Marco Rubio(R-FL)
- Bernard Sanders(I-VT)
- Charles Schumer(D-NY)
- Jeff Sessions(R-AL)
- Jeanne Shaheen(D-NH)
- Olympia Snowe(R-ME)
- Jon Tester(D-MT)
- John Thune(R-SD)
- Pat Toomey(R-PA)
- Mark Udall(D-CO)
- Tom Udall(D-NM)
- Mark Warner(D-VA)
- James Webb(D-VA)
- Sheldon Whitehouse(D-RI)
- Roger Wicker(R-MS)
- Ron Wyden(D-OR)
Voted against · 8
8 R
- Richard Burr(R-NC)
- James DeMint(R-SC)
- Chuck Grassley(R-IA)
- Jon Kyl(R-AZ)
- Mike Lee(R-UT)
- John McCain(R-AZ)
- Rand Paul(R-KY)
- Richard Shelby(R-AL)
Did not vote · 9
5 D, 3 R, 1 I
- Barbara Boxer(D-CA)
- Tom Coburn(R-OK)
- Kay Hagan(D-NC)
- Tom Harkin(D-IA)
- Joe Lieberman(I-CT)
- Richard Lugar(R-IN)
- Joe Manchin(D-WV)
- Debbie Stabenow(D-MI)
- David Vitter(R-LA)
Education
| University of Arkansas | B.A. | 1977 |
| University of Arkansas School of Law | J.D. | 1981 |
Judicial Record
Caseload & case types
In our data, Hickey was assigned 2,290 district-court cases (1966–2026). Median time from filing to termination: 226 days across 1,819 closed cases.
Case assignment is from CourtListener’s PACER-derived docket records: a partial sample, not a complete caseload, reflecting the judge last assigned each case. How we count.
On appeal
Of 144 of Hickey’s decisions reviewed on the merits by the U.S. courts of appeals in our data, 121 were affirmed, 17 reversed or vacated, and 6 affirmed in part and reversed in part. This is a historical count of appellate outcomes for cases we could match, not a judgment of the judge, and not a complete record. How we count.
Questions & answers
- Who appointed Susan Owens Hickey?
- President Barack Obama appointed Susan Owens Hickey to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas in 2011.
- Was Susan Owens Hickey appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Susan Owens Hickey was appointed by President Barack Obama, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Susan Owens Hickey's confirmation vote?
- The Senate confirmed Susan Owens Hickey 83–8 on October 13, 2011.
- Which court is Susan Owens Hickey on?
- Susan Owens Hickey is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- Portrait: U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
- Confirmation roll-call (Senate.gov, 2011)
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
See something wrong? Report an error. Fixes are logged in the corrections log.
14 years on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).