The Ultimate Judge Hatchett Page

Judge Glenda Hatchett grew up in the South, where her parents told her that she could do anything if she put her mind to it. She presided over the Fulton County, Georgia Juvenile Court for 8 years, which made her the first African-American chief presiding justice of a Georgia state court and head of one of the biggest juvenile court systems in the U. S. She founded the Truancy Project in Atlanta in 1990, hoping to curb the number one predicter of future criminal activities among boys. She has become an authority on juvenile and social issues and has appeared on many prestigious shows, like Nightline, Good Morning America, and The MacNiel/Lehrer News Hour. She has become known for showing youthful offenders what criminal's lives end up like--having runaways vist homeless shelters, petty thieves visit jails, and more. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her two sons, although during taping times, she will live in her new New York home, where the Judge Hatchett show is filmed.

Judge Hatchett is a syndicated courtroom reality show that premiered in the fall of 2000, and is presided over by Judge Glenda Hatchett and guarded by bailiff Tom O' Riordan. The show is geared toward younger audiences, but still features lots of standard court show fare. The cases are small-claims cases, and the show has a jurisdictional limit of $3,000 (this means that no one can make a claim for more than $3,000 on Judge Hatchett). There is a preference for cases involving youth, as that is the judges' area of expertise. Hatchett tries to stress the life lessons behind the cases, and the real-life implications of the situations outside of court. This is why she performs "aftercare" on her litigants, which consists of follow-up visits and rehabilitation. At times she can even do things she used to do in her Georgia courtroom, like sending drug users on a visit to prisons where felons who committed drug-related offenses live. After some cases, Hatchett will take the litigants into her chambers after the case is over and have a discussion/mediation with them. She gives the impression that she really does care about the litigants, which makes Judge Hatchett a unique type of court show.

To BE A LITIGANT on the Judge Hatchett show, click here & fill out the form for your type of case.

For FREE TICKETS to see the Judge Hatchett show in New York City, fill out this form.

Want to ASK JUDGE GLENDA HATCHETT A QUESTION? Send it to her through her personal website, ghatchett.com.