Judge who gave former drug dealer a 2nd chance swears him in as a lawyer

Lady Justice and the scales of justice.
(Image credit: iStock)

In 2005, Edward Martell was in Wayne County Circuit Judge Bruce Morrow's courtroom, waiting to hear his fate — he was 27 and facing up to 20 years in prison for drug dealing.

"Any other judge would have flushed me," Martell told Deadline Detroit, but Morrow said "everybody needs love" and instead gave Martell three years probation and implored him to become "a CEO of a Fortune 500 company instead of being out here selling drugs." Tired of how he was living, Martell took this as a challenge, and soon got his GED and enrolled in community college, wanting to become a lawyer.

Martell received full-ride scholarships at the University of Detroit Mercy, where he attended undergrad and law school. While his criminal record did not immediately disqualify him from being admitted to the Michigan Bar, Martell told Deadline Detroit he was concerned he was "chasing a dream with no guarantee." During his character and fitness review, he explained his past and had his colleagues at Perkins Law Group, where he conducted legal research, testify on his behalf.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

When he was approved, Martell told Deadline Detroit, he "sobbed like a baby." Earlier this month, he was sworn in as a member of the Michigan Bar, with Morrow administering the oath. Martell, now 43, will specialize in criminal law, and he said he hopes his story will "provide some of these young men and women with some motivation. You plant a seed, and hope it will grow." Morrow recalled that he told Martell, "'Let's see how far you can go.' And man, he hasn't finished yet."

To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.