Via: defendernetwork.com
Tanya Walton Pratt, 51, a graduate of a Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) has been sworn-in as Indiana’s first Black Federal Judge. Judge Pratt, who earned her undergraduate degree from Spellman College, in Atlanta, and her law degree from the Howard University School of Law, in Washington, D.C., said “I did not attend college or law school at Ivy League institutions. I am a proud product of Historically Black Colleges and Universities,” reported the Associated Press.
Judge Pratt who took her seat on the court last week was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate, 95-0, in mid-June.
Judge Pratt was sworn-in to the U.S. District Court seat formerly filled by Judge S. Hugh Dillin, who ordered thousands of Black students from Indianapolis Public Schools to attend township schools in the early 1980s, reported The Indianapolis Star. “Judge Dillin would be so pleased having you as his successor,” Judge Sarah Evans Barker told Judge Pratt during the searing-in ceremony. “Surely his spirit is in this place.”
Judge Pratt’s parents, both the grandchildren of slaves, were activists in the Indianapolis community. Her father, Charles Walton, was an attorney and state legislator. Her mother, Joan Blackshear Walton, taught in the Indianapolis Public Schools for 40 years. AP reported Judge Pratt’s great-grandfather, who was born into slavery in the mid-1850s in Georgia, was a brick mason and purchased his own property. His work ethic is what has inspired members of our family, said Judge Pratt.
On the Indianapolis Bar Association’s Judicial Excellence Political Action Committee website, Judge Pratt was recommended by her peers to judicial office by nearly 90 percent.
Judge Pratt stated: “The past 13 years as a judicial officer in a major felony court have been rewarding, despite the often difficult nature of cases. I have a strong work ethic and Court One tries on average; 40 jury trials each year. It is important to me to treat everyone that enters the court environment with courtesy and respect. I have a strong commitment to my community… From May 2001 until July 2007 I served as Chair of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Indiana Holiday Commission. I received the 2006 Career Achievement Award from the Archdiocese of Indianapolis and the 2007 Career Achievement Award from Cathedral High School. It remains my goal to bring conscientious, patient, and thorough consideration to matters entrusted to me.”
Judge Pratt, who succeeds Judge David Hamilton, is married to defense attorney Marcel Pratt, who she met at Howard University School of Law. They have been married 26 years and have a 19year-old daughter, Lena.
NNPA.org
