BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Honorable Hugh Scott, who was the first Black person to serve as a federal judge in the Western District of New York, has died.
Judge Scott was in his early 70s.
The Western New York legal community is mourning the loss of one of their own. The news came as a shock to those who respected the former U.S. Magistrate judge.
"He demanded perfection for himself and he expected others to do their very best," said Oliver Young, president of the Bar Association of Erie County. "He's always been a mentor, a friend and he's been that for many lawyers and particularly lawyers of color."
Judge Scott created Buffalo's re-entry court, a voluntary program for convicted defendants to get ease back into society.
From the East Side of Buffalo to the federal courthouse, he presided over high-profile federal cases, including that of a man charged with providing material support to ISIS.
The office of U.S. Attorney James Kennedy issued a statement Saturday about Judge Scott and his legacy.
"Judge Scott devoted his life to the pursuit of justice and recognized that our system of justice depends vitally on the humanity of those working in it," the statement read.
"As a prosecutor and as a jurist, he exuded those human traits which both instill confidence in and breathe life into our system of justice: impartiality, fairness, decency, efficiency, and above all, heart. Blending wisdom and wit, he had an uncanny ability to connect, in a heartfelt way, with all who appeared before him.
"Though he was a trailblazer, serving as the first black Assistant United States Attorney here in this Office and the first black federal judge ever in this District, ' I and my entire Office extend our deepest condolences to his wife Trudy, his sons, and the rest of his family.
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