Vicki Miles-LaGrange facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vicki Miles-LaGrange
Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma
Incumbent
Assumed office November 5, 2018
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma
In office 2008–2015
Preceded by	Robin J. Cauthron
Succeeded by	Joe L. Heaton
Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma
In office November 28, 1994 – November 5, 2018
Appointed by	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Lee Roy West
Succeeded by	Jodi W. Dishman
United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma
In office 1993–1994
President	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	John B. Green (acting)
Succeeded by	Rozia McKinney-Foster
Member of the Oklahoma Senate from the 48th district
In office January 6, 1987 – September 1993
Preceded by	E. Melvin Porter
Succeeded by	Angela Monson
Personal details
Born	Vicki Lynn Miles (1953-09-30) September 30, 1953 (age 71) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
Education	University of Ghana Vassar College (AB) Howard University (JD)

Vicki Lynn Miles-LaGrange (born September 30, 1953) is a retired federal judge from Oklahoma. She served on the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. She made history several times in her career.

Vicki Miles-LaGrange was the first African-American woman to become a United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma. She was also the first African-American woman to be elected to the Oklahoma Senate.

Early Life and Education

Vicki Miles-LaGrange was born on September 30, 1953, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She studied at the University of Ghana in Accra, Ghana, in 1973.

In 1974, she graduated with honors from Vassar College with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She then earned her law degree, called a Juris Doctor, from Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C. in 1977. While at Howard University, she helped edit The Howard Law Journal. She also worked as an intern for Speaker of the House Carl Albert.

Career in Public Service

Before becoming a judge, Vicki Miles-LaGrange worked in many important roles. From 1977 to 1979, she was a law clerk for Judge Woodrow Bradley Seals in Texas. A law clerk helps a judge with legal research and writing.

She worked for the United States Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., from 1979 to 1980. She was also a special assistant for the African Development Group from 1980 to 1981. During this time, she taught at the University of Maryland, College Park. From 1982 to 1983, she was a trial attorney for the Department of Justice.

From 1986 to 1993, she worked as a lawyer in Oklahoma City. During this period, she was elected to the Oklahoma Senate in 1987. This made her, along with Maxine Horner, the first African-American woman elected to the Oklahoma State Senate. From 1993 to 1994, she served as the United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma. This means she was the chief federal prosecutor for that area.

Federal Judicial Service

President Bill Clinton nominated Vicki Miles-LaGrange to be a federal judge on September 22, 1994. She was confirmed by the United States Senate on October 7, 1994. She officially became a judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma on November 28, 1994.

She served as the chief judge of the court from 2008 to 2015. On November 5, 2018, she took inactive senior status. This means she is still a federal judge but no longer hears new cases or takes part in the daily work of the court.

Important Case

Judge Miles-LaGrange made an important early decision about a change to the Oklahoma Constitution. This change wanted to stop state courts from using international law or Islamic Sharia law. Her decision to block this change temporarily received a lot of attention.

See also

• List of African-American federal judges
• List of African-American jurists
• List of first women lawyers and judges in Oklahoma