Justice takes on a whole new meaning when it comes to the dynamic, tough-talking, noholds- barred JUDGE JOE BROWN, the top-rated, half-hour, syndicated, reality courtroom series that returns for its seventh season on Monday, September 13, 2004. JUDGE JOE BROWN is the highest-rated courtroom show in the country behind “Judge Judy,” and the number one male judge personality on television today.

JUDGE JOE BROWN provides audiences with an inside look at actual cases involving real litigants from across the nation. When they bring cases to his courtroom, litigants are bound by Judge Joe Brown’s insightful rulings.

Judge Joe Brown shows litigants unique ways in which they can responsibly deal with their unlawful or wrongful acts, and also forces wrongdoers to reflect on the consequences of their transgressions.

Nationally known for his solid mix of fairness and justice, Judge Joe’s main goal is to reach the offender before he or she commits an offense. To achieve this, Judge Joe Brown applies his streetwise, trademark style of passionate judging and tough-love to the television courtroom - and the show’s overwhelming success speaks volumes to his effective approach and ability to capture the viewer’s attention.

Judge Joe Brown was raised in one of the toughest neighborhoods in South Central Los Angeles, but he overcame his immediate environment through perseverance and his commitment to education.

“My hometown is not the kind of place that people are supposed to get out of safe, sound and in whole mind. Of my friends in high school, I'm one of the only ones who hasn't ended up dead or in jail,” says Judge Brown. “It was there that I made up my mind that I could make a difference in people's lives -- and making a difference is what I've been all about ever since.”

This pioneering judge, who until April 2000 also presided as a State Criminal Court judge in Memphis, Tennessee, developed a completely new way of sentencing first time, non-violent offenders.

“I tried not to sentence anyone in the conventional way if I could think of a better way to get their attention,” states Judge Brown.

For example, he ordered a convicted burglar to open up his home to let his victim select a choice of the thief’s possessions. On another case, he forced a bad-check writer to write something else -- an apology . . . 100,000 times. It’s moments like these are the ones Judge Brown lives for -- an instant when the offender before him becomes transformed from just another statistic to someone now painfully aware that crime does not pay.

“You see, jail is too easy for some people,” he says. “A lot of offenders find being locked up a very viable option because they have food, shelter, a bed, recreation, a social structure and a whole concourse of new and dangerous friends. Sometimes, jail and something more is called for.”

“I try to apply my creative sentencing concept to the civil courtroom on the show whenever I feel that just writing a check won't be solving the underlying root of the problem. Offenders will then quickly be confronted with the nature of their offense -- always with the goal of having a profound and hopefully productive impact on their future behavior.”

His creative, alternative sentencing is what thrust Judge Brown into the national spotlight. His recognition was further intensified after he was assigned to reopen the case of the late James Earl Ray, convicted assassin of the late Martin Luther King, Jr. Since Judge Brown’s retirement from the bench in Memphis, television now serves as his real, full-time courtroom where viewers nationwide witness real cases with real resolutions.

Holly Evans serves as his bailiff. Jacque Kessler, former NBC affiliate reporter from Albuquerque, New Mexico, serves as the court reporter.

For additional information visit www.judgejoebrown.com

 

From 1990 until April 2000, Judge Brown served as a judge of the Shelby County Criminal Courts in Memphis, Tennessee, where he introduced a new way of sentencing first time, non-violent offenders with riveting results. His unusual methods of administering justice stemmed from his childhood. Born in Washington, D.C., he relocated to South Central Los Angeles as a young boy. The only child of hard-working teachers, Brown formed his toughlove philosophy early on.

“I grew up in one of the toughest neighborhoods in South Central Los Angeles,” he says. “If you saw the movie, 'Boyz 'n the Hood,' that was the way I grew up. I watched my parents tough it out on a daily basis, and I saw that what really kept them going was making a difference to others,” he states. “That's why today, 'making a difference to others' is everything I'm about.”

While nearly everyone in his neighborhood fell victim to the harsh realities and circumstances of living in an inner city, Brown chose education instead. His family later moved to the Crenshaw area where he graduated from Dorsey High School at the top of his class. He went on to major in political science at UCLA, paying for his tuition by loading trucks and digging ditches. When a friend suggested he try law school, Brown became intrigued by the possibility of pursuing a legal career.

It turned out to be a perfect fit. Brown was a brilliant student and earned his law degree from UCLA while working as a substitute teacher. Upon graduation he moved to Tennessee in 1973 to take a position with Legal Services and then with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (E.E.O.C.).

Within five years, Judge Brown became the first African-American prosecutor for the City of Memphis and then director of the City of Memphis Public Defender's Office. In 1978, he launched his own private practice. He returned to public service in 1990 where, recognized for his sincerity, passion and justice, he was soon elected Judge of Division 9 of the State Criminal Courts for Shelby County.

Judge Brown was already known for his creative alternative sentencing. In fact, it’s what thrust him into the national spotlight. His national recognition was further intensified after he was assigned to reopen the case of the late James Earl Ray, convicted assassin of the late Martin Luther King, Jr. Today, he often spends his weekends in the toughest parts of Memphis, following up on cases and helping kids and teens stay out of trouble and steer clear of activities that could put them in jail – or a coffin.

“I listen to young people talk about what's happening in their world, and I tell them about how I survived South Central.” Judge Brown says. “Because I overcame the street life and got a good education, they tend to listen to me more than most adults, and I think I give them hope. My goal is to encourage them to become productive members of society, instead of potential inmates who waste their young lives away.”

Judge Brown sees his work on television as the “best way possible” to spread the word and make a difference, just like his parents did while he was growing up. To commemorate his work with inner-city youth, Judge Brown was honored at the Kennedy Center with The Olender Foundation’s Advocate for Justice Award. In 1999, he was inducted as an honorary member into Phi Alpha Delta, the world’s pre-eminent law fraternity, in recognition of his distinguished service as a jurist and community leader, and his successful effort to demonstrate the law to millions of Americans via JUDGE JOE BROWN.

“It’s simple,” he says. “People should be kind, caring and humane. When they are not, it’s my job to try and turn them around.”

Judge Joe Brown has been featured in many high profile television shows such as “Entertainment Tonight,” Black Entertainment Television’s “How I’m Living,” Court TV’s “Catherine Cryer Live,” and CNN’s “Crossfire,” to name a few. He has also been the focus of numerous print stories that have appeared in widely read publications such as Ebony Magazine, Jet, People, Vibe, USA Today, and The New York Post, among others.

The father of two sons, Judge Joe Brown currently divides his time between homes in Los Angeles and Memphis with his new wife, Deborah Herron Brown, whom he married in December 2001. When he’s not presiding in the courtroom, he enjoys pursuing his hobbies of scuba diving, skiing and swimming with sharks (literally!).

JUDGE JOE BROWN is a Big Ticket Television production and is distributed by Paramount Domestic Television. Big Ticket is a Paramount/Viacom company. John Terenzio is executive producer. Lou Dennig is senior supervising producer. Paramount Worldwide Television Distribution is part of the Viacom Entertainment Group, a unit of Viacom Inc.