He's the real deal! Judge Joe Brown was born in Washington D. C., but as a child moved to South Central Los Angeles. The neighborhood was tough, and according to Brown, "If you saw the movie, 'Boyz 'n the Hood,' that was the way I grew up." Brown worked hard to get an education,had many odd jobs, and it paid off. He graduated high school at the top of his class, and paid his way through UCLA by loading trucks and digging ditches. He earned a bachelor's in political science and a law degree at UCLA, and then moved to Memphis in 1974 to work for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. He was the first African-American prosecutor in the City of Memphis; then became Director of the Memphis Public Defender's Office. In 1978, he went into private practice, until 1990 when he was elected to Judge of Division 9 of the State Criminal Courts for Shelby County (which includes Memphis). He spends weekends following up on cases and helping inner-city youth stay out of trouble, as well and spending time with his wife, and two sons! Judge Joe resides in Los Angeles, as well as keeping a home in Memphis. Brown got famous for unconventional sentences, like when he sentenced a thief to having his victim steal from him. The combination of his alternative sentencing and his presiding over the reopening of the James Earl Ray case thrust Brown into the national spotlight and caught the attention of Judge Judy's producers. Brown considers the TV show to be a perfect fit, as he can make a difference in people's lives in front of an audience of millions--who hopefully will follow his lead and change others' lives, too. After getting his show, Brown continued to serve as judge in Shelby County until April 2000, when he resigned to spend more time on the TV show. During the year and a half that he held both jobs, Brown missed over 100 days in court while in LA taping the TV show and had retired judges sit in for him. Therefore, many people believe that Brown quit because of political pressure--high-ranking officials had denounced his immense number of absences. Brown currently lives in Memphis, TN, and spends as much time as possible raising his two sons. The Judge Joe Brown show, which premiered in September 1998, has proven to be a ratings winner. It is the #2 court show on TV, after Judge Judy. The half-hour syndicated courtroom reality show deals with small-claims cases, and has a jurisdictional limit of $5,000 (meaning you can't sue for more than $5,000 on the Judge Joe Brown show. The studio is located in Los Angeles, right across the hall from Judge Judy's studio (they are both produced by Big Ticket Productions). The show has weird cases on a pretty regular basis; in fact, Coolio was once a litigant on the show, also Rick James. Judge Brown has a sense of chivalry, and enjoys telling moocher guys to stop living off their girlfriends. The show also stresses common sense: you don't lend money to someone you barely know! All those qualities and more make the show one of the best in the genre. "People need to be humane, kind and caring for each other. This country should be brought together ... black, white, brown, yellow, red, whatever ... and America needs to be promoted so we can remain the best in the world. That's what I'm about." Judge Joe Brown justice has a whole new meaning with the dynamic, tough-talking, no-holds-barred Judge Joe Brown, the unique, half-hour, reality courtroom series. Presented with actual cases involving real litigants from across the nation, Judge Joe Brown provides audiences with a face-to-face vantage point for witnessing real trials that offer final and binding resolutions. Judge Brown is committed to giving litigants in his courtroom an opportunity to change ... or he will make them pay the price for their actions. Holly Evans served as his Bailiff. Now, Sonia Montejano resides. Jacque Kessler, former NBC affiliate reporter from Albuquerque, New Mexico, serves as the court reporter. Rolonda Watts is the voice behind the scenes. A former reporter for WABC in New York and Correspondant and political anchor who hosted her own show "Rolonda" ending in 2003. This Season, Judge Joe Celebrates 10 years on television!
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