US judge finishes historic career
U.S District Judge Vicki MilesLaGrange didn’t want to be known as a good, black judge.
“My race will not determine my decisions,” the Oklahoma City native told U.S. senators at her 1994 confirmation hearing. “I don’t want to be known as a good black judge. I want to be respected as a good, fair judge.”
Twenty-four years later, the first black federal judge in Oklahoma and the five other states in the 10th Circuit has presided over her last case.
She leaves the bench at the Oklahoma City federal courthouse with the respect she wanted — both for her historic public service and for her good nature.
Federal prosecutor Robert J. Troester said she embodied professionalism, kindness and a devotion to public service throughout her illustrious career.
“Although litigation in federal court can be stressful, she had a warmth in dealing with lawyers and the parties
that made the process more humane and constructive,” the first assistant U.S. attorney said.
A Democrat, MilesLaGrange was the first black woman elected to the Oklahoma Senate and the first black woman in the nation to serve as a U.S. attorney.
In law school in Washington, D.C., she interned for U.S. House Speaker Carl Albert. As a young lawyer, she worked for the U.S. Justice Department prosecuting Nazi war criminals. Later, she became an Oklahoma County assistant district attorney and prosecuted sex offenders.
“I never had a job that I didn’t like,” the judge said Wednesday as she finished taking the last of her things from her chambers at the courthouse. “It’s just been a privilege to serve.”
This month, MilesLaGrange, 65, took senior status and gave up her caseload.
She said she will spend more time with her mother, a retired educator who is nearing 100. “God’s not through with me yet,” she said. “I just know that I want to be able to be very close to my mom.”
In one of her final major decisions, she sent the state’s fraud lawsuit against opioid manufacturers back to state court in August.
The judge said Wednesday the opioid crisis is concerning.
“I just hope that our nation can get on track,”
she said. “God’s gonna bless America. He’s still blessing America despite all of these new things which seem so detrimental to any society. It’s serious. It’s very serious.”
She was nominated to the bench in 1994 by then-President Bill Clinton. At the time, she was the U.S. attorney in Oklahoma City. She was chief judge at the Oklahoma City federal courthouse from 2008 to 2015.
While a judge, she went to other countries to help with their judicial systems. She said she went to Rwanda eight times.
In one of her most controversial decisions, she struck down a constitutional amendment overwhelmingly approved by voters in 2010. The measure would have prohibited state courts from considering Sharia law in making decisions.
Her ruling came after an Oklahoma City Muslim leader complained his constitutional religious rights were in jeopardy. Critics of her decision called her a liberal, activist judge.
Her departure leaves only one female district judge at the Oklahoma City federal courthouse. President Donald Trump will choose her replacement, a process that could take months.
Chief Judge Joe Heaton said her colleagues will miss having her enthusiasm and good humor around.
“She’s certainly had an extraordinary career,” said Heaton, who first got acquainted with her when both were in the state Legislature.