By Cora Jackson-Fossett, managing editor for The LA Sentinel
Originally published July 5, 2026
Billy Gene Mills, the first African American to graduate from UCLA Law School and one of the first Black people elected to the Los Angeles City Council, passed away in his Leimert Park home on June 27. He was 96 years old.
A dedicated public servant who later served two decades as a Los Angeles Superior Court Judge, Mills’ life was characterized by his unwavering commitment to justice, equality, and civil rights. In an online tribute, his son, James Edward Mills, said his father “understood that justice was never self-executing. It required principled people willing to stand up for what was right, even when doing so was difficult.”
Mayor Karen Bass noted, “Los Angeles mourns the passing of Billy G. Mills, a trailblazing public servant, civil rights attorney, and jurist whose life helped shape the arc of justice and opportunity in our city. Mills broke barriers and helped open doors for generations of Angelenos.”
“On the City Council, his dignified and thoughtful leadership guided Los Angeles through the aftermath of the 1965 Watts Uprising,” Bass said in her statement. “His legacy endures in South LA, where he pushed for paved alleys and essential infrastructure in neighborhoods that had long been neglected.
“… Throughout his life in public service, Judge Mills shared his journey with his wife and life partner, Dr. Rubye Mills, herself a trailblazer, who preceded him in death.”
Born in Waco, Texas, on Nov. 19, 1929, Mills excelled as a student athlete at A.J. Moore High School. Not only was he captain and quarterback of the football team, but he also was on the debate and declamation squad and named “Most Outstanding Student” in 1947. After graduation, Mills relocated to the L.A. area where he earned an Associate of Arts degree from Compton College and Bachelor of Arts degree from UCLA. In 1954, he received his Juris Doctor degree from UCLA, becoming the first Black student to earn that degree.
Mills began practicing law in 1960 before his election to the City Council in 1963. Representing Council District 8, he served with Gilbert Lindsay (CD 9) and Tom Bradley (CD 10) as the first African American council members.
Following his three terms on the City Council, Mills was appointed to LA Superior Court by Gov. Ronald Reagan.
Describing his father’s career, James Mills said, “He understood that the halls of justice could be more than a place where disputes were settled; they could be a place where the promises of the Constitution were made real for ordinary people. His career led him through the practice of law, public service, politics, and ultimately to the bench, where he served as a judge with the same quiet dignity and unwavering fairness that defined every other aspect of his life.”
His survivors include five children, nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.