Former TV Judge Joe Brown is on the other side of Memphis jail bars after turning himself in to spend five days in jail for a contempt of court charge.
The charge came about during a 2014 child custody hearing when Brown angrily disagreed with a magistrate after finding out there was no record of the case he was there to represent,
MSN reported. He was rewarded for his stance with jail time. Brown appealed the ruling and lost.
"Ask – well, you can't ask 'em, but you might have asked – (Nelson) Mandela, Martin Luther King, Rev. (Joseph) Lowery, Stokley Carmichael, you might ask those people who just got arrested in Ferguson, what it's all about," Brown told
Action News 5 through his car window as he arrived at the Memphis jail to serve his time. "Sometimes you have to do what you have to do and stand up for justice."
The popular judge became renowned for the reality show "Judge Joe Brown" that aired on CBS, ending in 2013.
In a statement about the contempt of court charge quoted on Action News 5, Brown said, "I will not apologize for vigorously defending my client and demanding that the court follow the law. What I saw was a miscarriage of justice and I did what needed to be done. I will serve the time and I will continue stand up and speak out for justice as I have done throughout my 40-year legal career. When our courts don't follow the rule of law, justice is in jeopardy for everyone."
Supporters of Brown showed up outside the jail as he turned himself in Thursday, carrying signs that said things like "I support Judge Joe," Action 5 said. A hashtag, #ISupportJoe filtered onto social media.
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