Victoria A. Roberts

Who is Victoria A. Roberts?

Victoria A. Roberts is a United States federal judge.

Born in Detroit, Michigan, Roberts received her B.A. from the University of Michigan in 1973, and her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law in 1977. She was a research attorney for the Michigan Court of Appeals from 1976 to 1977, and was a legal research & writing teaching fellow at the Detroit College of Law, Michigan State University from 1977 to 1978. She was in private practice in Michigan from 1977 to 1985. She was an assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan from 1985 to 1988, returning to private practice in Detroit from 1988 to 1998. She was general counsel for Mayor-Elect Dennis Archer's Transition Team from 1993 to 1994.

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

In a ruling, May 3, 2010, Roberts overturned an earlier decision of Federal Magistrate Donald J. Scheer regarding the Federal detainment of nine members of a Michigan militia called Hutaree. Roberts stated:"Discussions about killing local law enforcement officers — and even discussions about killing members of the judicial branch of government — do not translate to conspiring to overthrow, or levy way against, the United States government,." Her decision was stayed by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati and successfully appealed.