Florence-Marie Cooper

In nine years as a U.S. District Court judge, she has proved her independence time and again, in rulings involving everything from rap stars to marine mammals. In the latest volley in the ongoing saga over the Navy's use of sonar off the California coast, Cooper agreed with environmentalists that using the mid-frequency equipment would create a "near certainty" of harm to mammals and ordered limits on the Navy's use. The Bush administration, on behalf of the Navy, appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, claiming the order jeopardizes the Navy's ability to train sailors or Marines for wartime deployment. The justices voted in June take up the case. The judge, who's spent 25 years on the state and federal bench, also signed off on a settlement this year that largely upholds local air-quality rules to cut diesel exhaust in the region.