Susan Hightower has served as a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Western District of Texas, Austin Division, since 2019. She previously served as a judge on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Trademark Trial and Appeal Board; was a member of Pirkey Barber PLLC, where her practice focused primarily on trademark litigation; and was a litigation associate with Fulbright & Jaworski LLP. Judge Hightower, an Austin native, received a BA (with College Honors) from Austin College, an MA in journalism from The University of Texas at Austin, and a JD (Conferred with Distinction) from Stanford Law School. She also served as a clerk for Judge Jacques L. Wiener, Jr. of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Before law school, Judge Hightower was a professional journalist, most notably working as a reporter and editor for The Associated Press for six years.