Portal:Michigan/Selected Biography/6

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Greg Mathis (born April 5, 1960 in Detroit) is a retired Michigan 36th District Court judge and syndicated television show judge. His show Judge Mathis is seen five days a week in most television markets in North America. A spiritually inspired play, Been there, Done that, based on his life toured twenty-two cities in the U.S. in 2002, and Inner City Miracle, a memoir was published by Ballatine Books.

Mathis was born in Detroit, the fourth of four boys born to Alice Mathis, a devoted Seventh-day Adventist. Mathis was both victim and beneficiary of the rich mix of African-American culture found in Detroit during the turbulent times of the 1960s and 1970s. But, his mother's deep devotion to church and community rescued him from total destruction, something many of his peers could not escape.

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 successful demonstrations against South African Apartheid policies. Mathis began his political career as an unpaid intern, and his presence in Detroit's City Hall was insignificant until he 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 fortunate enough to be conditionally admitted to the University of Detroit School of Law. Mathis later became head of Mayor Coleman Young's re-election campaign and after Young's victory was appointed to run the city's east side city hall, a job that took much of his time, but made him certain he could make a difference in the lives of the poor residents.

He has been hosting a television series, Judge Mathis, since 1999, in which he mediates disputes and passes judgments in a civil court recognized by several states. In 2001, Mathis appeared in "1st Annual BET Awards." He also was a guest star as himself in the Steve Harvey show episode "Here Comes the Judge". Mathis has been parodied on Saturday Night Live by Tracy Morgan in the "Judge Horace" persona.