Judge Mathis Event - February 2009 - Hotel Amarano, Burbank

STRAIGHT TALK WITH THE JUDGE

Greg Mathis is a retired Michigan 36th District Court judge and syndicated television show judge. His show Judge Mathis is produced by Telepictures Productions, and distributed by Warner Brothers. It is seen five days a week in most television markets in North America. in 2002, and Inner City Miracle, a memoir was published by Ballatine Books.

As the kick-off speaker for the 2009 joint-studio speaker series, Judge Mathis shared his passion for the inner-city while humbly sharing his past with event-goers. At one time, the crowd was so engaged that they formed a circle around the Judge. The event proved to be a success and served as the benchmark for future joint-studio events. The audience was also entertained by spoken-word artists, one of which was accompanied by a guitarist.

Through perseverance and with the help of a close family friend, Mathis was admitted to Eastern Michigan University where he discovered a new interest in politics and public administration. He became a campus activist and worked for the Democratic Party, organizing several demonstrations against South African Apartheid policies. He graduated with a B.S. Public Administration from the Ypsilanti campus and began to seek employment in Detroit's City Hall.

In 1995, he was elected a superior court judge for Michigan's 36th District, making him the youngest person in the state to hold the post. During the five years he was on the bench, he was rated in the top five of all judges in the 36th District; there are about thirty judges each year.

Mathis began his political career as an unpaid intern, and then became an assistant to Clyde Cleveland, a city council member. It was at this time Mathis took the LSAT and applied to law schools; he was conditionally admitted to the University of Detroit School of Law, which was located in downtown Detroit, walking distance from city hall. He passed a summer course and was officially admitted to the night program which took four years to complete.

Mathis was appointed head of Jesse Jackson's Presidential campaign in the state of Michigan in 1988. Mathis later became head of Mayor Coleman Young's re-election campaign and after the victory was appointed to run the city's east side city hall.

Mathis has continued to be involved in politics after rising to national entertainment prominence through his television show. Urban politics and African-American movements have been his focus. He has been a guest speaker for black trade union conferences, such as the A. Phillip Randolph Institute’s National Educational Conference on Social Justice and he was an on stage guest during the Nation of Islam’s Savior Day conference in Detroit’s Ford Field in 2007.

In September 2008, Mathis wrote a book called Street Judge, a novel based on a judge who solves murders. It was co-written by Zane, a well-known erotic series writer of Zane's Sex Chronicles. Mathis also wrote a book titled Of Being a Judge to Criminals and Such.