Famous as the star of the television court program the Judge Joe Show, he is also known for his work in the Criminal Court of Shelby County, Tennessee. He rose to national fame while serving as the judge during the final appeal of convicted Martin Luther King, Jr. assassin James Earl Ray. He received both his undergraduate degree in political science and his J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles. Early in his legal career, he achieved the distinction of being the first Memphis prosecutor of African descent.