James Curtis was born in Los Angeles, CA. His dad worked hard as a bricklayer to provide opportunity for his son, who was the first in his family to go to college. Curtis did little or no trouble-making, because, according to him; "I was scared of my father". He was taught personal responsibility, and frequently says to litigants, "Take responsibility!" Curtis worked for Gov. Jerry Brown as well as other politicians. He passed the California bar in 1989, and joined the Riverside County District Attorney's Office as a prosecutor. In 10 years or prosecuting, Curtis developed a tough stance on crime, covering such high profile cases as the murder of teenager Taisha Miller by Riverside police while she was sitting in a car. He then joined the Juvenile Crimes division, working toward community involvement and prevention as ways to cut crime. He established the County's first community based juvenile division prosecution unit, which brought police officers, parents, and educators together to help fight crime. The program was such a success that it became a model for other areas. Curtis then started touring the country as a motivational speaker to both teens and adults. Curtis quit the District Attorney's office in September 1999, and founded The Justice Project Incorporated, a consulting firm advising law enforcement relations on community relations. He remains on the board of the California State Bar Association's Criminal Law Section. Soon after, King World Productions approached him about presiding over a new courtroom TV show. Curtis has frequently appeared as a legal expert on TV networks ever since the O. J. Simpson trial, on networks such as CNN, NBC, CNBC, MSNBC, and ABC. He also has hosted a call-in talk radio show on KUCR Radio in Riverside, CA where he interviewed attorneys and offered legal expertise. At first he was reluctant to accept the TV show job offer, as he watches little TV (he watched Wapner on the old People's Court), he eventually decided to give it a try. The goal is to explain how, and why things in law happen and to enable people to understand the legal system. Curtis has three children with his wife.

Curtis Court is a syndicated courtroom reality show that aired from September 2000 thru September 2001. It was hosted by James Curtis, a repected prosecutor, and guarded by Anthony Pasquin, veteran New York City police officer. The show, filmed in New York City, dealt with small-claims cases, with a jurisdictional limit of $3,000, meaning that no one could sue for more than that on Curtis Court. Judge Curtis pledged to run a courtroom that helps viewers better understand the law, and not belittle litigants. The show ran for a half and hour, but there were two new shows everyday, and in many markets they aired consecutively. The judge was much milder than other judges, particularly the Sheindlins, Judy and Jerry, and unlike other judges, frequently stepped off the bench to come and examine evidence. His rulings were much the same as the other judges, although he tries to get a resolution to the conflict before he rules. The cases are much the same as the other shows as well, although he seems to prefer cases that involve family problems to cases that don't.