About

An Accomplished Leader

Born, raised, and educated in Michigan, Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Susan L. Hubbard is the third generation from her family to serve in public office. She graduated in 1985 from Wayne State University majoring in print journalism and in 1991 from the Detroit College of Law where she served on the dean's list, law review, and as a teacher's assistant for contracts law. Susan began her career in government with the Detroit office of the U.S. General Accounting Office, the congressional watchdog agency, where she audited federal programs and testified before congressional subcommittees on the results.

Her first elected office was to the Dearborn City Council in 1985, where Susan worked with neighborhood organizations to protect residential neighborhoods from excess commercial encroachment by enacting new zoning laws. Susan was then elected to the Wayne County Commission in 1989, where she continued her work with community groups to improve neighborhoods by sponsoring annual flower plantings and environmental clean-up projects, receiving an award for her efforts from the Michigan Beautiful Commission.

She also sponsored the county's first airport noise ordinance that imposed curfews on aircraft and mandated the conversion of outdated aircraft to safer, quieter aircraft. Her efforts culminated in the construction of Detroit Metro Airport's award-winning terminal in 2002. In addition, Susan authored the county's first ethics and contracting ordinances that reduced fraud, waste and abuse, earning her the title of "the county watchdog in pursuit of efficiency and accountability throughout county government" by the Detroit News.

After representing litigants in district, probate, and circuit courts for 19 years, Susan was elected to the Wayne County Circuit Court in 2010. Recognizing the need to address the court's overwhelmed self-represented litigants, she created the court's first instructional video to help litigants navigate their way through the court system. Susan also worked to change court rules to better protect the privacy of family court records and has volunteered as a mentor to young lawyers through the Detroit Bar Association. Additionally, she was instrumental in efforts to secure better wages and benefits for court staff.