Free Judge Greg Mathis Essay Sample

This is a descriptive essay about Judge Greg Mathis. Judge Greg Mathis was born in April 5, 1960 in Detroit to a single mother Alice Mathis who worked as a nurse's aide at night and a cleaner during the day. His father was estranged from him .He has four siblings and their family lived in a federal housing project in the USA. He later married his wife, Linda shortly after the death of his mother and they were blessed with four children. He is currently a retired Michigan 36^th District Court judge and syndicated television show judge. But it is his life story of a street youth who rose from jail to judge that has inspired many and brought him to the limelight.

Judge Greg Mathis

Ever since he was born, Mathis was highly undisciplined. At just 15, Mathis was assimilated in an infamous Detroit gang, where he quickly accumulated a juvenile criminal record for purse-snatching, and shoplifting. When he was 17-years-old, he was arrested on a concealed-weapons charge and jailed at the Wayne County Jail. In one of the visits that his mother paid him, he promised to change and luckily when his case came before the judge, the judge gave him a choice between entering a maximum-security prison in Michigan, or earning his General Equivalency Degree (GED). He chose the degree path and pursued a Career in Law. He earned his GED and a close family friend helped him get 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 in 1984 and began looking for a job in Detroit's city hall. However, Mathis was denied a license to practice law for several years after graduating from law school because of his criminal past. He graduated from the University of Detroit Mercy in 1987. Mathis eventually obtained his law license, and became an attorney in private practice in 1993. In 1994, he run for a seat on the bench of the 36th District Court, Michigan's busiest court. Mathis won the election, becoming the youngest jurist ever elected to the bench of that court. 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.

Mathis began his political career as an unpaid intern, and then became an assistant to a city council member. Mathis was appointed head of Jesse Jackson's Presidential campaign in the state of Michigan in 1988. He later became the 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 even after rising to national entertainment prominence. He has been a guest speaker for black trade union conferences. He has been an advocate for equal justice with Reverend Jesse Jackson's Rainbow PUSH, where he currently serves as the Vice President.

In his efforts to reach out to the youth, Judge Mathis and his wife Linda have assisted thousands of youth with their non-profit agency Young Adults Asserting Themselves (Y.A.A.T.) an outreach initiative that provides youths with career and job opportunities as well as job training and college enrollment assistance. Mathis has also written books like "the street judge" and "of being a judge to criminals". His efforts  has been appreciated in form of  awards and accolades from city, state, government officials, newspapers, magazines and television affiliate like CNN and ABC. In late 1998, Warner Brothers Domestic Television offered Mathis his own dispute-resolution show which he hosts- and inspires many.

 

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