Judge Joe Brown Compares His Jail Cell to ‘Slave Quarters’

Former TV jurist did five days in the pokey for contempt of court

WESTWOOD, CA - AUGUST 21: Judge Joe Brown attends the film premiere of "Undisputed" on August 21, 2002 in Westwood, California. (Photo by Vince Bucci/Getty Images)
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Judge Joe Brown is free a last after a five-day jail sentence for contempt of court — and he has plenty to say about his stay in the pokey.

In an interview with People published Tuesday, the former television judge likened his jail time to “being in slave quarters,” adding, “It’s boring, it’s dirty.”

On the plus side, the 68-year-old Brown noted, “But I survived. I’m breathing free air.”

Brown was sentenced to jail due to an outburst in March 2014, when he reportedly hectored Juvenile Court Magistrate Harold Horne during a Memphis courtroom. Brown, who was representing a woman in a child-support case, maintained in his interview that his client was being “mistreated,” and that Horne was behaving in an “arrogant, disrespectful and discourteous” manner.

“He seemed to be very impatient,” Brown offered. “He didn’t want to be there.”

At the time of the incident, Juvenile Court Chief Magistrate Dan Michael said that Brown “all but had the courtroom in a riot” and launched into “a diatribe against Mr. Horne and the authority of the court.”

At the very least, Brown’s sparring with the legal system has prompted him to get back in the TV game. Brown told People that he’s preparing a new daytime show, “True Verdict With Judge Brown.”

“The people need a voice,” Brown told People. “The people that have got the education, they are supposed to give back. There are some that do. But too many that don’t.”

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