-9999

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a remarkable elected official, Judge LaRita Cooper-Stokes. LaRita Cooper- Stokes is a child of God, and she gives thanks and praises to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Judge Stokes was serving her third term as County Court Judge for Hinds County. She was sworn in on January 5, 2015. She was blessed to become the first African American woman to serve the citizens of Hinds County on the bench in the County Court. She has served two terms as Senior County Court Judge.

Judge Stokes was formerly elected as City Councilwoman of Ward 3, in Jackson, Mississippi, in 2012. At the same time, her husband was elected to serve as a member of the Hinds County Board of Supervisors.

Judge Stokes has been a licensed attorney for over thirty years. She was a graduate of the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University in Houston; Jackson State University; and Lanier High School. She was reared by loving parents, Mr. and Mrs. Roy and Lucy Cooper, along with four siblings. She was a member of New Hope Baptist Church. She was married to Jackson's City Councilman, Kenneth I. Stokes, and was a mother and grandmother. She was humbled by being elected a public servant, and she was thankful for the opportunity to serve the citizens of Hinds County.

Judge Stokes gained her eternal wings and went to be with God in the early hours of Monday, May 8, 2023, at a Jackson hospital, due to complications with her respiratory system. She would have celebrated her 65th birthday May 27.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Judge LaRita Cooper-Stokes for her dedication to politics, her city, and her community.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source