Marilyn Milian, Esq. (born May 1, 1961 in Queens, New York) 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 first Hispanic judge to sit on the bench of any English language television court show. On September 20, 2006, she received the "Groundbreaking Latina of the Year" award from Catalina magazine and the National Association of Latina Leaders.
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Early life and education
Born to Cuban parents, Milian is originally from Queens, NY. Her family moved to Miami when she was eight years old. She graduated from St. Brendan High School. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Miami, graduating summa cum laude with a 4.0 grade point average. She then attended Georgetown Law School, earning her law degree cum laude at the age of 23.
Legal career
Milian worked as an Assistant State Attorney 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 her to the Miami Circuit Court. In 2001, she replaced Jerry Sheindlin as judge of The People's Court. She is currently in her seventh season on the show.
Personal
Milian is married to Judge John Schlesinger, a former Assistant United States Attorney, who in 2004 was elected to the 11th Judicial Circuit for Miami-Dade County, Florida. This is the same position that Judge Milian held before retiring to The People's Court. They live in Coral Gables, Florida with their three children, Cristina, Alexandra, and Sofia. She travels to New York City every week for two days of filming.
Criticism and controversy
Milian has received heavy criticism from many people for making smart remarks and even throwing tantrums at her litigants. For example, a clip of one case, featured on Jimmy Kimmel Live, shows Milian exchanging sharp comments back and forth with a litigant whom she addressed as "honey", before having her bailiff escort the litigant out of the courtroom. In another case from the 2007-08 season, Milian berated a University of Miami law school student for stating, "That's your opinion." Milian also has a lot of smart remarks and catchphrases. For example, she frequently says:
- Pay the man [lady] !
- Watch this... (typically to a litigant who has no evidence to support his/her claim, before she turns to the other litigant for his/her expected denial)
- I wouldn't believe you if your tongue came notarized!
- Who am I gonna believe, you or my lying eyes?
- I am so done! Stick a fork in me, I'm done!
- What part of "Stop" didn't you understand?
- Not here, not today, and not in my courtroom!
- Did I breathe and give you the impression that I was done speaking?
- You redefine chutzpah!
- Is my English not as good as I think it is?
- This is the part of The People's Court where we do a little "rough justice".
- Have you confused this with your opportunity to continue to talk?
- What part is this, Douglas? This is the part where I rule and they have to shut up and listen. I LOVE this part.
Judge Milian occasionally says a Spanish saying or proverb in her cross-examination, sayings (or, in Spanish, "dichos") she learned from her mother and grandmother. Some examples include:
- Un clavo saca el otro. ("One nail drives out the other.")
- Donde tú vas, yo ya fui, me senté, me tomé una soda, y regresé. (“Where you’re going I already went, sat down, had a soda and returned.”)
- Nada sin mojarse la ropa. ("He swims without getting his clothes wet.") - typically used to refer to someone described as "slick," or in other words, a liar.
- Ni tu mismo te lo crees. ("Not even you believe what you're saying.")
- El golpe avisa. ("The bump/hit announces.")
- Jugando al quien es mas macho. ("Playing the game, Who is more macho?")
- Lo barato sale caro. ("Buy cheap, pay dear.")
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 being an accomplice to a robbery 30 years ago.
External links
| Preceded by Jerry Sheindlin |
Judge of The People's Court March 12, 2001–present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
