A former Detroit street youth and high school dropout, Mathis' lawlessness brought him before a judge who cared, a judge who ordered him to get a G.E.D. (high school equivalency) or face jail time. He obtained his G.E.D., as ordered by the judge, and went on to become a committed civil rights, activist, public servant and the youngest judge in Michigan's history when he was elected in 1995 as a Superior Court Judge for Michigan's 36th District.

Currently, Mathis is the star of the Warner Brother's hit TV show, "Judge Mathis." Additionally, he appeared on The WB sitcom "The Steve Harvey Show" as himself. He has also had major media exposure, appearing on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," the "Today" morning show and "Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher," as well as being featured in Ebony, Jet, Upscale and People.

Mathis is committed to helping troubled youth in and out of the courtroom. In 1986, Mathis and his wife co-founded Young Adults Asserting Themselves (Y.A.A.T), a non-profit youth agency that serves thousands of young people. The foundation counsels youth from the ages of 17-25 about career and job opportunities, provides job training, and offers school and job placement services. The foundation has also opened four pre-schools in Detroit. In his various fundraising efforts, Mathis has raised and donated over $2 million for a variety of civil rights, political, church and youth causes.

Judge Mathis will be at the Proud Lady Beauty Show on Sunday, April 4, as part of the Proud Lady Model Search and World Class Fantasy Competition, which will be held from 8:00 -10:30 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Chicago.