Joseph "Joe" Brown is a judge and host of a court show which shares his name.
Raised in South Central Los Angeles

South Los Angeles

South Los Angeles, often abbreviated as South L.A. and formerly South Central Los Angeles, is the official name for a large geographic and cultural portion lying to the southwest and southeast of downtown Los Angeles, California. The area was formerly called South Central, and is still widely known...

, Brown graduated at the top of his class at Dorsey High School, then earned a bachelor's degree in political science and in 1973 a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree at UCLA. While attending law school, Brown worked as a substitute teacher.
Brown became the first African-American prosecutor in the city of Memphis.