Susan Pamela Watters
Appointed by President Barack Obama in 2013 and confirmed by the Senate 77–19, Susan Pamela Watters is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana. She earned a law degree from University of Montana School of Law in 1988. Sources ↓
- Born
- 1958 · age 68
- Appointed by
- Barack Obama, 2013
- Confirmed
- 77–19
- Education
- Eastern Montana College (now Montana State Billings) 1980 · University of Montana Law 1988
- Succeeded
- Richard F. Cebull
- Succeeded by
- Kathleen Smithgall Lane
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | District of Montana succeeded Richard F. Cebull | Obama (D) | 77–19 |
Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own.
Confirmation vote
Nomination Confirmed 77–19 on December 12, 2013 · 113th Congress, Roll Call 268. Each senator links to their judicial-voting record.
Voted to confirm · 77
52 D, 23 R, 2 I
- Kelly Ayotte(R-NH)
- Tammy Baldwin(D-WI)
- Max Baucus(D-MT)
- Mark Begich(D-AK)
- Michael Bennet(D-CO)
- Richard Blumenthal(D-CT)
- Cory Booker(D-NJ)
- Barbara Boxer(D-CA)
- Sherrod Brown(D-OH)
- Richard Burr(R-NC)
- Maria Cantwell(D-WA)
- Ben Cardin(D-MD)
- Thomas Carper(D-DE)
- Bob Casey(D-PA)
- Saxby Chambliss(R-GA)
- Dan Coats(R-IN)
- Tom Coburn(R-OK)
- Thad Cochran(R-MS)
- Susan Collins(R-ME)
- Christopher Coons(D-DE)
- Bob Corker(R-TN)
- Ted Cruz(R-TX)
- Joe Donnelly(D-IN)
- Richard Durbin(D-IL)
- Dianne Feinstein(D-CA)
- Jeff Flake(R-AZ)
- Al Franken(D-MN)
- Kirsten Gillibrand(D-NY)
- Chuck Grassley(R-IA)
- Kay Hagan(D-NC)
- Tom Harkin(D-IA)
- Orrin Hatch(R-UT)
- Martin Heinrich(D-NM)
- Heidi Heitkamp(D-ND)
- Dean Heller(R-NV)
- Mazie Hirono(D-HI)
- Johnny Isakson(R-GA)
- Tim Johnson(D-SD)
- Ron Johnson(R-WI)
- Timothy Kaine(D-VA)
- Angus King(I-ME)
- Amy Klobuchar(D-MN)
- Mary Landrieu(D-LA)
- Patrick Leahy(D-VT)
- Mike Lee(R-UT)
- Carl Levin(D-MI)
- Joe Manchin(D-WV)
- Edward Markey(D-MA)
- Claire McCaskill(D-MO)
- Jeff Merkley(D-OR)
- Barbara Mikulski(D-MD)
- Jerry Moran(R-KS)
- Lisa Murkowski(R-AK)
- Christopher Murphy(D-CT)
- Patty Murray(D-WA)
- Bill Nelson(D-FL)
- Rob Portman(R-OH)
- Mark Pryor(D-AR)
- Jack Reed(D-RI)
- Harry Reid(D-NV)
- Jay Rockefeller(D-WV)
- Marco Rubio(R-FL)
- Bernie Sanders(I-VT)
- Brian Schatz(D-HI)
- Charles Schumer(D-NY)
- Jeanne Shaheen(D-NH)
- Debbie Stabenow(D-MI)
- Jon Tester(D-MT)
- John Thune(R-SD)
- Pat Toomey(R-PA)
- Mark Udall(D-CO)
- Tom Udall(D-NM)
- Mark Warner(D-VA)
- Elizabeth Warren(D-MA)
- Sheldon Whitehouse(D-RI)
- Roger Wicker(R-MS)
- Ron Wyden(D-OR)
Voted against · 19
19 R
- Lamar Alexander(R-TN)
- John Barrasso(R-WY)
- Roy Blunt(R-MO)
- John Boozman(R-AR)
- John Cornyn(R-TX)
- Mike Crapo(R-ID)
- Michael Enzi(R-WY)
- Deb Fischer(R-NE)
- John Hoeven(R-ND)
- Mike Johanns(R-NE)
- John McCain(R-AZ)
- Mitch McConnell(R-KY)
- Rand Paul(R-KY)
- James Risch(R-ID)
- Pat Roberts(R-KS)
- Timothy Scott(R-SC)
- Jeff Sessions(R-AL)
- Richard Shelby(R-AL)
- David Vitter(R-LA)
Did not vote · 4
1 D, 3 R
- Lindsey Graham(R-SC)
- Jim Inhofe(R-OK)
- Mark Kirk(R-IL)
- Robert Menendez(D-NJ)
Education
| Eastern Montana College (now Montana State University Billings) | B.A. | 1980 |
| University of Montana School of Law | J.D. | 1988 |
Judicial Record
Caseload & case types
In our data, Watters was assigned 995 district-court cases (1978–2026). Median time from filing to termination: 232 days across 896 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 157 of Watters’s decisions reviewed on the merits by the U.S. courts of appeals in our data, 114 were affirmed, 28 reversed or vacated, and 15 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 Pamela Watters?
- President Barack Obama appointed Susan Pamela Watters to the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana in 2013.
- Was Susan Pamela Watters appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Susan Pamela Watters was appointed by President Barack Obama, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Susan Pamela Watters's confirmation vote?
- The Senate confirmed Susan Pamela Watters 77–19 on December 12, 2013.
- Which court is Susan Pamela Watters on?
- Susan Pamela Watters is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- Portrait: United States District Court for the District of Montana (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
- Confirmation roll-call (Senate.gov, 2013)
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
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12 years on the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).