Chief Judge Miranda Du
Nevada U.S. District Court
Miranda Mai Du was born in 1969 in Ca Mau, Vietnam. When she was nine years old, the family left the country by boat, spent nearly a year in Malaysian refugee camps, and then was granted asylum in the United States. She grew up in Winfield, Alabama, ultimately finding her way to Oakland, California. She earned an undergraduate degree from the University of California and received her Juris Doctor from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. She engaged in the private practice of law in Nevada.
Du was nominated by President Barack Obama to serve as a judge of the Nevada U.S. District Court. She was confirmed by the Senate and received her commission in March 2012.
She has been chief judge of the court since 2019.
In the News…
A coalition of ranchers and environmental organizations sued to stop the construction of a lithium mine in Nevada. However, Judge Miranda Du, the Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court in Nevada, ruled in favor of the Bureau of Land Management and a Canadian-based company on beginning construction of the mine near the Nevada border with Oregon. The case has been appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and a halt was attempted to be made while the case proceeds.
“Plaintiffs have failed to make a clear showing of entitlement to the extraordinary remedy of an injunction pending appeal,” Judge Du wrote. Their most persuasive arguments, she said, was that allowing the project to go forward would bring harm to the environment.
“The Court again agrees with Environmental Plaintiffs, but only to a point. Specifically, the Court agrees — and understood when it issued the Merits Order several weeks ago — that the Merits Order would mean Lithium Nevada could start construction on the Project, and thus disrupt the sagebrush ecosystem within the Project area,” she wrote. “Court indeed expects that Lithium Nevada, unfortunately, will soon begin ripping out sage brush that will not grow back for a very long time.”
Contact this Leader…
Did you pray for Judge Du today? You can let her know at:
The Honorable Miranda M. Du, Chief Judge
U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada
333 Las Vegas Blvd South
Las Vegas, NV 89101
