Judge Susan K. Sniegowski is the first woman to preside over Michigan’s 51st Circuit Court, serving Mason and Lake counties. Courtesy photo.
By Carmelitta Tiffany
Susan K. Sniegowski broke the glass ceiling in 2005, becoming Mason County’s first female prosecuting attorney. She didn’t stop there. She is presently serving her second term as the first female circuit court judge in the 51st Circuit of Michigan, covering Mason and Lake counties.
Circuit courts are trial courts that handle civil cases seeking damages of more than $25,000, all felony criminal matters, personal protection order matters, and all family matters. Family matters include custody, divorce, paternity and child support cases, among others. Circuit courts also handle appeals from district courts and some administrative agencies.
Sniegowski received her Bachelor of Arts in journalism from Michigan State University in 1990 and her Juris Doctor from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law in 1999.
CT: What prompted you to enter the legal profession, and then politics, to become a district attorney and judge?
I have been interested in the law since I was a child. I was still in elementary school when I started reading books about lawyers. I had many different interests while growing up, and I followed a different direction in college. Several years after graduating from college I decided the time was right to go back to school to pursue a graduate degree. I was looking at law schools as well as graduate programs in English, and I decided that going to law school would present more opportunities for a varied career path.
My initial interest in the law was in criminal law. My first internship in law school was working for the Colorado State Public Defenders Office, and I started appearing in court with clients my second year in law school. I enjoyed the fast pace of criminal law as well as the concrete rules that govern criminal procedure. During my third year of law school, I worked as a research assistant to my evidence professor. I spent the year researching constitutional questions in criminal law in all fifty states. It was a great experience in how to research and find answers to complex legal questions. After returning to Ludington and passing the state bar exam, I started working in a general-practice law firm. During this time, I began representing defendants in felony and misdemeanor cases and started teaching a criminal-law course at West Shore Community College.
I decided to run for the county prosecuting attorney position because I wanted to focus my work on criminal cases, and I enjoyed the fast-paced environment of the courtroom. I thought I had the skills and experience necessary to do the job well.
Ever since I first started law school, the idea of running for a judgeship was always in the back of my mind. When Judge Cooper announced his retirement, I felt the time was right to run for the office. I had spent my career up till then appearing primarily in the circuit courts of Mason, Lake, and Oceana counties, and I had experience in all matters handled by the circuit court. By that time, I had been a criminal defense attorney and a prosecuting attorney, and I had represented clients in civil and family-law cases both as a plaintiff’s attorney and a defense attorney. This variety of experience gave me the knowledge and training I needed to take the next step to become a circuit judge.
CT: Please tell us about any mentors who encouraged you.
My parents, Sam and Doris Kasley, were always my biggest supporters and mentors.
CT: What is the best part of your job? What about the most challenging part?
The best part of my job is also the most challenging. Because the 51st Circuit Court is a single-judge circuit, I preside over all the different types of cases within the jurisdiction of the circuit court, including felony criminal cases, civil cases involving claims over $25,000, family-law cases, lower-court and administrative appeals, and requests for injunctive relief. Throughout the week my docket varies from family law to criminal to civil cases, and some days I have a mashup of all three types. Applying the different laws and procedures of each area of law is challenging, but I enjoy the variety of work I am exposed to. Now, more challenging still is working through the backlog caused by the COVID-19 shutdowns and pauses in holding jury trials, but the work is always interesting.
CT: What legacy do you hope to leave for future generations of women?
I think it is important for all people, but especially women, to realize that it is okay to go after what you want in life, and that the ability to be strong and assertive while also being compassionate and caring is a positive attribute. It is also good to step back at times to reflect on what you really want your impact in life to be. You cannot be all things to all people all the time. The most important thing is to decide what it is that you can and want to do and then pursue it with a passion.
CT: I am hesitant to ask this, because if you were a man I probably wouldn’t, but how do you manage being a mom and a judge?
I have to plan things in advance to make everything work. I think this is true of all parents, regardless of their gender or employment status. So, I don’t think my experience is much different from any other parent’s, whether working outside the home or at home. Parenting, as well as working as a judge, requires the ability to prioritize what needs to get done and the discipline to execute the plans to make it happen. Things don’t just fall into place: You have to work at it.
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