Susan Webber Wright

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Susan Webber Wright (also known as Susan Carter) is an Article III federal judge serving on senior status for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas. She joined the court in 1990 after being nominated by President George H.W. Bush. She was appointed to the court as Susan Webber Wright. Carter served on the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court from May 18, 2009, until May 18, 2016.^[1] She assumed senior status in August 2013.

Education

Carter received her undergraduate degree from Randolph-Macon Women's College in 1970, a Master's in Public Affairs from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in 1973, and a J.D. from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in 1975.^[2]

Professional career

1976-1990: Faculty member, University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law

Worked as assistant professor and assistant dean (1976-1978), associate professor (1980-1983), and lead professor (1983-1990)

1982-1983: Visiting professor, Louisiana State University Law Center
1981: Visiting professor, Ohio State University Moritz College of Law
1979: Research assistant, Arkansas Constitutional Convention^[3]
1975-1976: Law clerk, Judge Jesse Henley of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals^[2]

Judicial career

Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas

At the time of her federal judicial nomination, Carter was nominated as a federal district judge for both the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas. She was later reassigned to the just Eastern District. On the recommendation of Congressman John Hammerschmidt, Carter was nominated by President George H.W. Bush on September 21, 1989, to a seat vacated by Elsijane Roy as Roy went on senior status. Carter was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on January 23, 1990, on a Senate vote and received commission on January 24, 1990. Carter served as chief judge for the Eastern District of Arkansas from 1998 to 2005.^[2] On August 22, 2013, Judge Susan Carter assumed senior status for the Eastern District of Arkansas, where she had served for over 23 years. She was succeeded by James Moody Jr. in the position.

Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court

Carter was appointed to serve on the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. She was appointed to a term beginning on May 18, 2009, and ending on May 18, 2016.^[1]

Awards and associations

Carter served as member of the National Advisory Council of the American Judicature Society until 2011.^[4]

Noteworthy cases

State's restrictions on abortions after 12 weeks is unconstitutional (2014)

See also: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas (Edwards et al., v. Beck et al., 4:13CV00224)

Judge Carter presided over a case challenging an Arkansas law that banned most abortions after the 12th week of pregnancy. The law was passed when the Arkansas legislature overrode Gov. Mike Beebe’s veto, and was scheduled to go into effect on August 16, 2013. The ACLU, the Center for Reproductive rights, and other groups sued to block the law from taking effect, challenging it as an extreme example of a movement to eliminate access to abortion care across the country. Judge Carter ruled against the State, and issued a preliminary injunction in favor of the advocacy groups.^[5]

On March 14, 2014, Judge Carter struck down the Arkansas law, ruling that it was unconstitutional as it "impermissibly infringe[d] a woman’s Fourteenth Amendment right to elect to terminate a pregnancy before viability."^[6]^[7] The state’s restriction was based on a fetal heartbeat rather than viability, and in her decision, Judge Carter noted that "[t]he Supreme Court has … stressed that it is not the proper function of the legislature or the courts to place viability at a specific point in the gestation period."^[8] On April 11, 2014, Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel announced that the state would appeal the ruling to the Eighth Circuit.^[9]

External links

Susan Webber Carter biography from the Federal Judicial Center

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by: Elsijane Roy	Eastern District of Arkansas 1990–2013 Seat #4	Succeeded by: NA
Preceded by: Elsijane Roy	Western District of Arkansas 1990–1990 Seat #4	Succeeded by: NA