Susan L. Carney

Susan Laura Carney (born September 16, 1951) is an American lawyer who serves as a senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Early life and education

She was born in Waltham, Massachusetts to Cleo Olgas and John R. Carney Jr. Her father was a partner at the Boston law firm Young & Carney. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Radcliffe College, cum laude, in 1973 in Russian History and Literature, and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School, magna cum laude, in 1977. After graduating from law school, Carney worked as a law clerk for Judge Levin H. Campbell of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.

Professional career

From 1979 until 1986, Carney was an attorney at Rogovin, Huge & Lenzner in Washington, D.C., first as an associate and later as a partner. She worked on litigation in federal courts and provided business counsel, primarily for large nonprofit organizations. In 1986, Carney joined two other Rogovin partners to form the Washington, D.C. office of the Los Angeles-based firm of Tuttle & Taylor. She was subsequently Of Counsel to the D.C. labor law firm of Bredhoff & Kaiser, where she engaged in an appellate practice. From 1996 to 1998, Carney served as Associate General Counsel of the Peace Corps. She received her commission on May 17, 2011. She entered duty as a Circuit Judge on June 21, 2011.

On November 5, 2021, Carney announced that she would assume senior status upon the confirmation of her successor. She assumed senior status on September 27, 2022.

Personal life Carney married journalist Lincoln W. Caplan, also a Harvard Law School graduate, in February 1979 in Waltham, Massachusetts. They have a daughter, Molly Caplan.

Carney has five brothers. Her mother, Cleo Carney, and father, John R. Carney, both served in the United States Navy.