Susan Karaskiewicz

Susan Karaskiewicz is a retired litigator with nearly 40 years of experience who always aspired to be a lawyer. She began her career as a state prosecutor and served as an Assistant District Attorney and later Deputy District Attorney in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, where she specialized in child abuse and neglect, sexual assault, and domestic violence cases and helped establish a Children's Hospital Child Advocacy Center. Karaskiewicz tried over 150 felony jury trials, argued before the Wisconsin Court of Appeals and Supreme Court, and handled high-profile cases that led to national media appearances. She later served as a Senior Trial Attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division investigating and prosecuting employment discrimination cases. For the last 20 years she maintained her own practice focusing on complex federal criminal cases as a member of the Criminal Justice Act panel, tried the largest RICO gang conspiracy case in Wisconsin history, and was appointed chief legal counsel for the Department of Corrections in 2019 before returning to private practice. She was considered for appointment as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Karaskiewicz is a member of the ACLU and an advocate for children worldwide through her support of UNICEF and international humane groups.