Judge Bruce Morrow, an African American judge at a courthouse in Wayne County, Michigan, gave a second chance to Edward Martell in 2005 when he was arrested for selling drugs. 16 years later, Judge Morrow has just sworn in Martell as a lawyer!
When the two first met, Martell was a 27-year old repeat offender pleading guilty to manufacturing and selling crack cocaine. Judge Morrow could have sentenced him to 20 years in prison but he saw potential in him.
“I can imagine Ed — being a Brown man, coming from an economically depressed environment, having been chased by police and put in handcuffs — never thinking this is where the love could come from,” Morrow told The Washington Post.
Judge Morrow decided to give him 3 years of probation and a challenge to come back to the court next time as a CEO of a Fortune 500 company.
