Marilyn Milian
Encyclopedia
Marilyn Milian, is a former Florida
state circuit court judge
and currently presides over the American
television program
The People's Court
. She is the first female judge to preside over the long-running show and the second longest-running judge overall.
parents, Milian is fluent in Spanish
. She and her family moved to Miami when she was eight years old. She graduated from St. Brendan High School
. Milian earned her undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Miami
, graduating summa cum laude, with a 4.0 grade point average. She then attended Georgetown University Law Center
, earning her J.D.
, cum laude, at age 23. She spent a year working at Harvard Law School
, where she served as director of training for the Guatemala
Project. She was responsible for training the Guatemalan trial judiciary, defense and prosecution bar in investigatory and trial techniques.
for the Dade County
State Attorney's Office. She was appointed to the position by Janet Reno
, who was then the state attorney for the county. In 1999, Florida governor Jeb Bush
appointed Milian to the Miami Circuit Court
, where she served in the Criminal Division. Prior to that, she spent five years in the Miami County Court in the Domestic Violence Court, Criminal and Civil divisions. In 2001, she replaced Jerry Sheindlin
as judge of The People's Court, and became the first Hispanic judge on any television court show. At some point, according to her in one of the episodes of The People's Court
, she also taught law at the University of Miami
.
, with their three children: Cristina (born in 1996), Alexandra (born in 1998), and Sofia (born in 2001). She travels to Manhattan
on a biweekly basis for three days of taping of The People's Court.
Judge Milian lends her support to many community and philanthropic organizations. Milian is the spokesperson for the FBI's Safe Online Surfing (FBI-SOS) campaign. She is a sought-after speaker well known for her dedication to the Hispanic community and a strong voice against domestic violence. Milian has served as emcee for a number of charitable causes, including the Latino Commission on AIDS
, The Lighthouse for the Blind, The Miami-Dade County Teachers Awards, Hope for Vision, and the South Florida Children's Home Society.
She was an honorary host for National Chairman Arnold Schwarzenegger's 2003 annual celebration of the South Florida Inner-City Games. Milian was the honorary judge for Washington's 2002 Teachers Making A Difference campaign and is actively involved in supporting Southern Florida's Children's Cancer Center's Summer Camp, hosting "Camp Court" mock trials of camp counselors by the young campers. On September 20, 2006, she received the "Groundbreaking Latina of the Year" award from Catalina magazine
and the National Association of Latina Leaders
.
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
state circuit court judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
and currently presides over the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
The People's Court
The People's Court
The People's Court is a US television court show in which small claims court cases are heard, though what is shown is actually a binding arbitration....
. She is the first female judge to preside over the long-running show and the second longest-running judge overall.
Early life and education
Born to CubanCubans
Cubans or Cuban people are the inhabitants or citizens of Cuba. Cuba is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
parents, Milian is fluent in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
. She and her family moved to Miami when she was eight years old. She graduated from St. Brendan High School
St. Brendan High School
St. Brendan High School is a co-educational private Roman Catholic high school in the Westchester neighborhood in Miami, Florida, United States. The school is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami.- History :...
. Milian earned her undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
, graduating summa cum laude, with a 4.0 grade point average. She then attended Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center is the law school of Georgetown University, located in Washington, D.C.. Established in 1870, the Law Center offers J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. degrees in law...
, earning her J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
, cum laude, at age 23. She spent a year working at Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
, where she served as director of training for the Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
Project. She was responsible for training the Guatemalan trial judiciary, defense and prosecution bar in investigatory and trial techniques.
Legal career
Milian worked as an assistant state attorneyState's Attorney
In the United States, the State's Attorney is, most commonly, an elected official who represents the State in criminal prosecutions and is often the chief law enforcement officer of their respective county, circuit...
for the Dade County
Miami-Dade County, Florida
Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the state of Florida. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 2,496,435, making it the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States...
State Attorney's Office. She was appointed to the position by Janet Reno
Janet Reno
Janet Wood Reno is a former Attorney General of the United States . She was nominated by President Bill Clinton on February 11, 1993, and confirmed on March 11...
, who was then the state attorney for the county. In 1999, Florida governor Jeb Bush
Jeb Bush
John Ellis "Jeb" Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd Governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. He is a prominent member of the Bush family: the second son of former President George H. W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush; the younger brother of former President George W...
appointed Milian to the Miami Circuit Court
Circuit court
Circuit court is the name of court systems in several common law jurisdictions.-History:King Henry II instituted the custom of having judges ride around the countryside each year to hear appeals, rather than forcing everyone to bring their appeals to London...
, where she served in the Criminal Division. Prior to that, she spent five years in the Miami County Court in the Domestic Violence Court, Criminal and Civil divisions. In 2001, she replaced Jerry Sheindlin
Jerry Sheindlin
Gerald "Jerry" Sheindlin is an American author and television personality, he was also a judge on the television show The People's Court from 1999 to 2001...
as judge of The People's Court, and became the first Hispanic judge on any television court show. At some point, according to her in one of the episodes of The People's Court
The People's Court
The People's Court is a US television court show in which small claims court cases are heard, though what is shown is actually a binding arbitration....
, she also taught law at the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
.
Personal
Milian is married to Judge John Schlesinger, a former assistant United States attorney, who in 2004 was elected to the 11th Judicial Circuit Court for Miami-Dade County, Florida. This is the same position that Milian held before retiring to The People's Court. They live in Coral Gables, FloridaCoral Gables, Florida
Coral Gables is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, southwest of Downtown Miami, in the United States. The city is home to the University of Miami....
, with their three children: Cristina (born in 1996), Alexandra (born in 1998), and Sofia (born in 2001). She travels to Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
on a biweekly basis for three days of taping of The People's Court.
Judge Milian lends her support to many community and philanthropic organizations. Milian is the spokesperson for the FBI's Safe Online Surfing (FBI-SOS) campaign. She is a sought-after speaker well known for her dedication to the Hispanic community and a strong voice against domestic violence. Milian has served as emcee for a number of charitable causes, including the Latino Commission on AIDS
Latino Commission on AIDS
The Latino Commission on AIDS is an advocacy and service nonprofit membership organization formed in 1990 with a mission to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS in the Latino community in the United States of America including its territories...
, The Lighthouse for the Blind, The Miami-Dade County Teachers Awards, Hope for Vision, and the South Florida Children's Home Society.
She was an honorary host for National Chairman Arnold Schwarzenegger's 2003 annual celebration of the South Florida Inner-City Games. Milian was the honorary judge for Washington's 2002 Teachers Making A Difference campaign and is actively involved in supporting Southern Florida's Children's Cancer Center's Summer Camp, hosting "Camp Court" mock trials of camp counselors by the young campers. On September 20, 2006, she received the "Groundbreaking Latina of the Year" award from Catalina magazine
Catalina magazine
Catalina magazine was founded in 2001 by a Latina journalist to break the stereotypes of Hispanics in the US media and entertainment. Cover models have included Daisy Fuentes, Eva La Rue, Mario Lopez, Ricardo Antonio Chavira, María Conchita Alonso, and Natalie Morales...
and the National Association of Latina Leaders
National Association of Latina Leaders
The National Association of Latina Leaders is a non-profit organization representing millions of Hispanic women across the United States. It was co-founded in 2003 by Former U.S. Treasurer Rosario Marin and Media entrepreneur Cathy Areu. Rosario Marin served as the organization's Chairwoman during...
.
Acting career
She appeared in the role of a judge on The George Lopez Show in the episodes "George's Mom Faces Hard Tambien" and "George Testi-Lies for Benny" for the case of George's mom Benny being an accomplice to a robbery 30 years ago.Filmography
- 2007: George LopezGeorge Lopez (TV series)"The George Lopez Show" redirects here. For the late-night program hosted by the same comedian, see Lopez Tonight.George Lopez is an American sitcom starring comedian George Lopez...
.... Judge Alvarez (2 episodes, 2007) - 2002: As the World TurnsAs the World TurnsAs the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
.... Judge (3 episodes, 2002)