Marcia Cooke Marcia Cooke, the first African American woman to serve as a federal judge, died on January 27th at the age of 68. Cooke moved to Florida in 1992 and served as director of professional development in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. Additionally, she served as Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District, chief inspector general for the Executive Office of former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and assistant attorney for Miami-Dade County. She was nominated to the bench by former President George W. Bush and was confirmed in 2004. Cooke graduated from Georgetown University and Wayne State University College of Law.
