Victoria Roberts

Victoria Roberts
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Current Court Information:
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
Title:	Judge
Position:	Seat #14
Service:
Appointed by:	Bill Clinton
Active:	6/29/1998 - Present
Preceded by:	George LaPlata
Personal History
Born:	1951
Home State:	Detroit, MI
Undergraduate:	U. of Michigan, B.A., 1973
Law School:	Northeastern U. School of Law, J.D., 1977

Victoria A. Roberts is a Federal Article III Judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. She joined the court in 1998 after being nominated by President Bill Clinton.

Early life and education

Born in Detroit, Michigan, Roberts received her Bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan in 1973 and her Juris Doctor, J.D., degree in 1977 from Northeastern University School of Law.

Professional career

• Research clerk, Michigan Court of Appeals, 1976-1977
• Legal research & writing teaching fellow, Detroit College of Law, Michigan State, 1977-1978
• Private practice, Michigan, 1977-1985
• Assistant U.S. District Attorney, Eastern District of Michigan, 1985-1988
• Private practice, Detroit, MI, 1988-1998
• General counsel, Mayor-Elect Dennis Archer Transition Team, 1993-1994

From 1996 to 1997, Roberts served as the 62nd President of the State Bar of Michigan, becoming the first African-American woman to hold the position. While serving as the State Bar President, she created the State Bar Task Force on Race/Ethnic and Gender Issues in the Courts and Legal Profession. An author and teacher, Roberts has served as a faculty member for the Institute for Continuing Legal Education and the Trial Advocacy Workshop of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Roberts has also served as a mediator for the Wayne County Circuit Court and as a member of the Attorney Discipline Board's Wayne County Hearing Panel.

Judicial career

Eastern District of Michigan

Roberts was nominated to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan by President Bill Clinton on July 31, 1997, to a seat vacated by George LaPlata. Roberts was confirmed by the Senate on June 26, 1998, and received commission on June 29, 1998.

Notable cases

A notable case on this page needs to be updated.

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Monica Conyers civil case

Judge Roberts is the presiding judge in the civil lawsuit of former Detroit City Council President Monica Conyers. Conyers, who is the wife of U.S. House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, is being sued by Theodis Collins over wrongful termination after filing a petition to recall the President of Detroit's city council. The judge ruled that Conyers must undergo a deposition on May 13, 2010. Conyers has been trying to dismiss the lawsuit claiming the complaint is frivolous, but the judge said that Conyers must anwser questions unless her attorneys tell her not to.

Hutaree militia case

Judge Roberts will be the presiding judge in the case of nine people in the Hutaree militia who are charged with conspiracy to kill law enforcement officers. The Judge has set April 27th for a bond hearing to decide if the nine suspects will receive bail. This comes after attorneys for the suspects appealed Magistrate Donald Scheer's ruling to deny bail to the nine suspects.

On April 27, 2010, the judge allowed attorneys representing the nine suspects to bring FBI agents involved in the case to testify in court despite the prosecutors' wishes. In a four page opinion and order from Roberts, she said: "testimony from the government's case agent will shed light on the nature and the circumstances of the offenses, and whether the defendant's release would pose any danger to any person or the community."

During the April 27, 2010 hearing, Judge Roberts scolded prosecutors, especially one who did not have her notes with her when she was asked to present her case. Judge Roberts said: "I share the frustration of the defense...with all of the responses that are coming from this witness that she doesn't know anything." The judge also scolded prosecutors for not having their witnesses ready to testify during the hearing. Judge Roberts would decide by May 5, 2010, on whether to grant bond to any of the nine militia suspects.

Judge Hood, on May 3, 2010, ordered the release of the nine suspects. As part of their bail conditions, the nine suspects must undergo home detention and must wear electronic tracking devices at all times. The judge stated in her 36 page ruling: "the United States is correct that it need not wait until people are killed before it arrests conspirators...but, the Defendants are also correct: their right to engage in hate-filled, venomous speech, is a right that deserves First Amendment protection.”

When rendering her decision, Judge Roberts felt that federal prosecutors did not have enough evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that any of the nine suspects deserved continued jail-time. The U.S. Attorney's Office of the Eastern District of Michigan planned to review the ruling for a possible appeal following this decision.

The nine suspects were ordered to be released on bail on May 6, 2010 despite an appeal made by the prosecution to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals on May 5, 2010.

On May 10, 2010, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals decided the nine suspects should be put back in jail without bail pending further review of an appeal by prosecutors. In the ruling, the Sixth Circuit found that Judge Roberts erred by faulty reasoning and did not use enough evidence from the suspects in granting release. Attorneys for the suspects plan to fight the Sixth Circuit's decision.

Judge Roberts, on May 18, 2010, ordered the release of three of the suspects as they await trial. Tina Stone, David Stone, Jr., and Jacob Ward were released to their parents and must undergo electronic monitoring while out on bail. Also, the three suspects must undergo other restrictions set by the judge and must turn over a list of people in the Hutaree militia that are not arrested. Kristopher Sickles, a fourth suspect in the case, was released on May 19, 2010 to his wife while awaiting trial.

Courtroom documents-Hutaree case

• CLICK HERE for a copy of Judge Robert's 36 page ruling ordering the release of the nine Hutaree suspects on May 3, 2010.
• CLICK HERE for a copy of the Sixth Circuit's ruling to grant release to the nine suspects on May 10, 2010.

Awards and associations

The Wolverine Bar Association, a professional association for African-American attorneys The Wolverine Bar Association nominated Judge Victoria Roberts for the Roberts P. Hudson Award.

Judge Roberts has provided legal services on a pro bono basis to the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization Bib Brothers Big Sisters, and has served on its Board of Directors.

Roberts is a past chair of the Board of Directors of the Fair Housing Center of Metropolitan Detroit.

See also

• United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan

External links

• Judge Roberts' Michigan State Bar Profile
• Judge Victoria A. Roberts's Biography from the Federal Judicial Center

References

Federal judicial offices
Preceded by: George LaPlata	Eastern District of Michigan 1998–Current Seat #14	Succeeded by: NA