Marilyn milan biography

Marilyn Milian

Judge

“Raise your right hand,” Judge Marilyn Milian bangs the gavel on the bench of the multiple Emmy award winning “The People’s Court.” When asked how long she will continue to preside over “The People’s Court” Milian laughingly responds, “when they pry my cold white knuckles off the gavel.” Milian continues to resolve complex cases with compassion while offering sound legal knowledge to all of the litigants that appear before her. Milian’s advice to litigants: “Social media is a valuable courtroom tool. Posts, tweets and photos can be used as evidence to prove your case so don’t get rid of them! And remember, say it forget it, write it regret it!”

Judge Milian is honored to be the first Latina Judge to host a nationally syndicated television court show. In the courtroom, Milian often uses pearls of wisdom recalled from her Cuban mother and grandmother when addressing litigants. Milian proudly admits she gets her feistiness from her mother and her drive from her father.

Judge Milian has enjoyed major media exposure including a appearances on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” “Rachael Ray,” “Steve Harvey,” “The Dr. Oz Show,” “The Wendy Williams Show,” “TMZ,” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” Judge Milian is a well-versed legal expert appearing on many news outlets including FOX News, CNN and HLN. Milian is a pursued interview subject and has been profiled in numerous publications, including The New York Times, The New York Post, The New York Daily News, The Miami Herald, People, People en Espanol, US Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, InTouch, Elle, Vibe, Latina, Vanidades, and Glamour, among others. In addition Judge Milian has appeared on “Last Comic Standing” and in several episodes of “George Lopez.”

Originally from Queens, NY, Milian moved to Miami with her family when she was eight years old. Milian received her undergraduate degree at the University of Miami, where she graduated summa cum laude with a 4.0 grade average. She then attended Georgetown Law Sc

Judge Marilyn Milian commands control of the courtroom, resolving complicated cases with a straightforward approach and offering sound legal knowledge to all of the litigants that appear before her. Milian gets to the heart of each case to determine the underlying issues and uncover the truth. She describes herself as a "human lie detector" and will admonish a lying litigant when necessary: "I wouldn't believe you if your tongue came notarized."

The first Latina judge to host a nationally syndicated television court show, Judge Milian is proud of her Cuban heritage and often uses phrases from her grandmother when addressing litigants. Milian is awed by the history of The People's Court. She fondly remembers watching the series with her fellow law students at Georgetown: "Everything stopped when the show was on. We all gathered around the television in the lounge, and if you told me then that I would be sitting on the bench of 'The People's Court,' I would have said you were crazy."

Milian is a sought-after interview subject and has been profiled in numerous publications, including features in The New York Times, The New York Post, The New York Daily News, The Miami Herald, People, People en Español, Entertainment Weekly, InTouch, Elle, Vibe, Latina, Vanidades, Catalina Magazine, Florida International Magazine and Glamour, among others. In addition, she has appeared on several episodes of George Lopez.

Originally from Queens, New York, Milian moved to Miami with her family when she was eight years old. Milian received her undergraduate degree at the University of Miami, where she graduated summa cum laude with a 4.0 grade average. She then attended Georgetown Law School, where she earned her law degree and graduated cum laude at the age of 23.

Of Cuban descent, Milian is fluent in Spanish. She spent a year working at Harvard Law School, where she served as director of training for the Guatemala Project. S

Judge Milian is awed by the history of The People’s Court. Milian fondly remembers watching the series with her fellow law students at Georgetown. “Everything stopped when the show was on. We all gathered around the television in the lounge and if you told me then that I would be sitting on the bench of The People’s Court I would have said you were crazy.” Judge Milian is proud to be the first Latina Judge to host a nationally syndicated television court show. In the courtroom, Milian often uses phrases recalled from her Cuban grandmother when addressing litigants.

Judge Milian has enjoyed major media exposure including appearances on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Rachael Ray, Steve Harvey, The Dr. Oz Show, The Wendy Williams Show, TMZ, and Jimmy Kimmel Live. Judge Milian is a well-versed legal expert appearing on many news outlets including FOX News, CNN and HLN. Milian is a pursued interview subject and has been profiled in numerous publications, including The New York Times, The New York Post, The New York Daily News, The Miami Herald, People, People en Espanol, Entertainment Weekly, InTouch, Elle, Vibe, Latina, Vanidades, and Glamour, among others. In addition, Judge Milian has appeared on Last Comic Standing and in several episodes of George Lopez.

Originally from Queens, NY, Milian moved to Miami with her family when she was eight years old. Milian received her undergraduate degree at the University of Miami, where she graduated summa cum laude with a 4.0-grade average. She then attended Georgetown Law School, where she earned her law degree and graduated cum laude at the age of 23.

Milian 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.  

Florida Governor Jeb Bush appointed Milian to the Miami Circuit Court in 1999,

American judge and television personality

Marilyn Milian (born May 1, 1961), known professionally as Judge Milian, is an American television personality, lecturer, retired FloridaCircuit Courtjudge and court-show arbitrator. For 22 seasons from March 12, 2001 to July 21, 2023, Milian starred in the American courtroom television series The People's Court, replacing Jerry Sheindlin. Justice for the People with Judge Milian, another arbitration-based reality court show, premiered in the fall of 2023. The show follows suit of The People's Court in which she handles legal disputes.

Milian is the first Hispanic arbitrator to preside over a court show and during The People's Court's 2012–2013 season she became the show's longest-serving judge, surpassing Joseph Wapner, the show's inaugural jurist.

Early life

Milian was born in Manhattan to Cuban parents Jorge, a general contractor, and Georgina Milian. She spoke Spanish before learning English and is fluent in both languages. The family moved from Astoria, Queens, 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. She then attended Georgetown University Law Center, earning her J.D. 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.

Career

Legal career

Milian was appointed assistant state attorney for the Dade County State Attorney's Office by Janet Reno, who was then the county's state attorney. After ten years in that position, she then worked for the Miami County Court, serving in the domestic violence, criminal, and civil divisions. In 19