Greg Mathis

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.

Gregory Ellis Mathis (born April 5, 1960), known professionally as Judge Mathis, is a former Michigan 36th District Court judge, television court show arbitrator, author, television producer, and motivational speaker.

Alice (then divorced from Charles) raised Mathis alone in Detroit during the turbulent 1960s and 1970s.

Mathis moved to Herman Gardens in 1964 and resided with family until roughly 1970.

They moved away from the housing complex to avoid rising drug use and rates of violent crime.

Mathis was arrested several times as a juvenile delinquent, mainly for purse-snatching, breaking-and-entering, and robbery.

He would eventually be arrested and put behind bars at age 17 for nine months for a concealed-weapons charge.

While he was incarcerated in Wayne County Jail, his mother visited him and revealed she had colon cancer so the judge overhearing his case would subsequently give him an ultimatum of G.E.D or jail time along with early probation.

Once out of jail, Mathis began working at McDonald's, a job he needed to keep to maintain his release on probation.

A close family friend helped Mathis get admitted to Eastern Michigan University, and 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. in Public Administration from the Ypsilanti campus and began to seek employment in Detroit's City Hall.

He also became a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.

Mathis's biggest claim to fame is his television court show, Judge Mathis, currently in its 24th season as of September 5, 2022.

The program is one of the longest-running shows in the court programming genre, 4th in place behind only Divorce Court, The People's Court and Judge Judy (now out of production), respectively.

As Divorce Court and The People's Court have suffered temporary cancellations/re-installments/judge-role recasting, Mathis and Judge Judy boasts the longest single-production runs as well as runs with a single presiding judge.

With Judge Judy out of production after 25 seasons as of July 2021, Judge Mathis is now the longest-running active single-production court show.

Mathis is also the second-longest-reigning arbitrator in courtroom television history.

Following the success of his ongoing court show, Mathis also stars in another program entitled Mathis Family Matters which revolves around himself, his family, and their loved ones as they face domestic highs and lows.

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 denied a license to practice law for several years after graduating from law school because of his criminal past.

He received his J.D. from the University of Detroit Mercy in 1987.

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.

In 1995, he was elected a district court judge for Michigan's 36th District, making him the youngest person in the state to hold the post.

From September 13, 1999 to May 25, 2023, Mathis starred in his NAACP Image Award and Daytime Emmy winning, syndicated reality courtroom show, Judge Mathis, for which he is best known.

A spiritually inspired play, Been there, Done that, based on his life toured twenty-two cities in the U.S. in 2002.

In addition, Inner City Miracle, a memoir, was published by Ballantine Books.

On June 19, 2022, a new E! reality program, Mathis Family Matters, premiered, starring Greg Mathis as the paternal head of household along with his family and their various loved ones as they encounter various domestic ups and downs.

Mathis was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Charles Mathis, a Detroit native, and his wife, Alice Lee Mathis, a devoted Seventh-day Adventist, nurse's aide, and housekeeper.

His program entered its milestone 20th season on Monday, September 3, 2018.

Mathis boasts the longest reign of any African American presiding as a court show judge.

Mathis is also the second longest-serving television arbitrator ever, behind only Judith Sheindlin of Judge Judy and Judy Justice by three seasons.

Emanating from the success of his courtroom series, Mathis has also made a name for himself as a prominent leader within the African American community, providing mentorship, charity, and campaign efforts towards the advancement of African Americans.

Mathis is also heavily wrapped up in rallying public support, community outreach and philanthropy for the state of Michigan, such as for the Flint water crisis.

On May 4, 2022, Mathis was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.