Trailblazing Black female federal judge set to retire

A trailblazing federal judge, the lone Black woman to ever lead the Michigan Bar Association, is retiring after 25 years on the bench, leaving behind a legacy of advocating for justice, equity and truth.

U.S. District Judge Victoria Roberts, who battled for more diverse juries in federal court and once pulled off the extraordinary feat of tossing out a prominent domestic terrorism case, will retire on Sept. 1, according to The Detroit Free Press.

Roberts described her decision to retire and leave behind her judicial colleagues as a “bittersweet moment,” adding she is looking forward to the epilogue of her life.

“It has been my highest honor to be in association with all of you and our former colleagues,” Roberts said, The Free Press reported. “Few have the privilege or opportunity to serve the public in such an impactful way and to make decisions that influence every aspect of life and public policy. You have met the challenges with the devotion that our calling requires of us. Please know that I respect you all, and I will miss you.”

While Roberts, her high school’s class valedictorian, initially had plans to pursue a career in journalism, the Detroit native claimed her first encounter with “blatant racism” by a Detroit News editor pushed her to switch courses. The editor allegedly told her that despite her exceptional writing portfolio, “the newspaper had already hired a Black reporter.”

Roberts then decided, with advice from a friend, to study law and fight injustice. Roberts graduated from Northeastern University School of Law in Boston, worked as a private attorney for 20 years and was subsequently appointed a federal judge by then-President Bill Clinton in 1997. 

She was the first judge in the Eastern District of Michigan to raise concerns about the underrepresentation of Black people on federal juries, and she oversaw campaigns that changed the selection process.

Roberts made arguably the most daring decision of her career by dismissing the highly contested Hutaree militia case in 2012. Following weeks of testimony, she concluded before discharging the jury that the organization had not planned to topple the government and launch a violent rebellion. Despite the rare, unexpected move, many praised the judge’s decision.

In another notable action, Roberts also permitted news cameras in her courtroom that day — which is typically not allowed in federal court — letting reporters witness the exonerated inmates’ victory celebrations after they spent years in prison, as well as question the trial’s jurors.

Bill Swor, a veteran attorney who defended the lead defendant in the Hutaree case, applauded Roberts for putting institutional restraints aside and acting honorably. He said he could use one hand to count how many times a judge dismissed a case at the end of the trial then sent the jury on its way.

Mark Chutkow, a former federal prosecutor, recounted working on a variety of challenging cases before Roberts. They included a Ukrainian human trafficking network, a sizable oil spill in Detroit’s Rouge River and a kickback bribery scheme at Detroit’s Metro Airport.

“She took the bench every day without a preconceived notion of how a case should be decided,” Chutkow said, recalling how Roberts remained unbiased throughout each case, The Free Press reported. “She never put her thumb on the scale … her departure will leave a big hole in our state’s justice system.”

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