[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 79 (Wednesday, May 10, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E418]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING JUDGE LaRITA COOPER-STOKES

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 10, 2023

  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.

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