Kevin A. Ross

Kevin A. Ross
Judge on the Los Angeles County Superior Court
In office
1999–2005
Personal details
Born Kevin Andrew Ross
(1963-06-01) June 1, 1963
Los Angeles, California, United States
Alma mater Morehouse College
Southwestern Law School

Kevin Andrew Ross (born June 1, 1963)[1] is an American host of the syndicated court show America's Court with Judge Ross, a producer, communications strategist, and former judge on the Los Angeles County Superior Court in California.

Biography

Early Years

A Los Angeles native, Ross attended Gardena High School, where he was student body president and president of the District-Wide Association of Student Councils for the Los Angeles Unified School District. He went on to graduate from Morehouse College with a degree in Political Science, and received his juris doctorate from Southwestern Law School. He is also a member of the Greek fraternal organization Kappa Alpha Psi.

Law and Politics

An internship working for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office at the height of the crack cocaine epidemic convinced Ross that victims and those living in underserved communities needed advocates to represent their interests. He decided to become a deputy district attorney, and later worked as a hardcore gang prosecutor responsible for implementing controversial civil gang nuisance injunctions.[2]

Ross entered politics in 1995, running for a seat on the Los Angeles City Council, finishing third despite endorsements from the Los Angeles Times and LA Weekly publications. He was subsequently appointed to the LA County Parks and Recreation Commission, and co-founded The New Leaders, an organization created to train and prepare the next generation of African American leaders.

Initial Media Employment

Ross began contributing op-ed pieces for the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Sentinel and Los Angeles Daily News.[3] He was named co-host of “The People’s Connection” on 103.9 KACE, before being given his own show on Disney’s KTZN 710 The Zone. Ross later hosted and produced a weekend program on Talkradio 790 KABC until he retired to begin his judicial career.

Election to the California Bench and Subsequent Removal

While attending law school, Ross clerked for David W. Williams. A fellow black Republican, Judge Williams would administer the oath of office to Ross after he became a judge on the then Inglewood Municipal Court.[4] At that time, Ross was the youngest elected judge in the state of California.

Ross was elevated the following year to the Superior Court after a ballot measure approved by California voters.[5] During his seven years on the bench, Ross handled over 60,000 cases, ranging from traffic and small claims matters, to sexually violent predators and murderers. After being profiled on KCET’s Life & Times Tonight, Ross began appearing on the PBS program to discuss legal issues from a judge’s perspective.[6] He also frequently spoke about the importance of blacks becoming police officers, prosecutors, defense attorneys and judges to ensure the judicial system treated minorities fairly.

In 2005 the Commission on Judicial Performance (CJP) removed Judge Ross from office, stating he violated judicial canons pertaining to defendants’ constitutional rights, public comments made on KCET, and his involvement in a television court show pilot.[7][8] Ross unsuccessfully appealed the CJP's decision to the California Supreme Court, a ruling that also made him ineligible to practice law in the state.[9][10] Neither the initial Endemol- and Tribune Entertainment-produced "Mobile Court", nor the follow-up Twentieth Television program "Ross is Boss", was picked up by television stations for syndication.[11]

Return to Media

Reigniting his interest in media, Ross decided to start a communications company, become a blogger, and launch an eponymous Internet show on Blogtalkradio, a large citizen broadcasting network. "The Kevin Ross Show" became a leading current events and conservative political show on Blogtalkradio. It also ranked among the top five most popular shows on the social networking radio site.[12]

In 2008, Fox News Radio and BlogTalkRadio partnered to bring listeners "Election 2008: Battle of the Blog Talkers." Fans of FOX News Radio's "FOX Across America" selected their favorite BlogTalkRadio hosts from each side of the political spectrum during a weeklong, one-on-one tournament. Ross was chosen as one of the eight hosts, and ultimately won the contest representing the political right.[13]

At a 2009 business meeting with comedian Byron Allen to discuss an online media venture, Allen was so impressed with Ross that he made him a deal right on the spot to host a court show for Entertainment Studios (ES). The following year, "America's Court with Judge Ross" was among the 2010-2011 crop of freshman programs in daytime.[14] On February 26, 2014, America's Court was officially renewed for an additional two years; thereby keeping the series on air through the 2015-16 television season.[15] As with other ES court programs, America's Court can also be seen on the company's legal cable network Justice Central.[16]

Entrepreneurship

Along with serving as one of the producers on the Emmy nominated America's Court, Ross also appears on various cable and radio outlets such as Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, Black Entertainment Television (BET), NPR, The Tom Joyner Morning Show and KJLH 102.3 FM as a legal, political and social commentator.

Personal

Kevin Ross is married with two children and resides in the Los Angeles area.

References

  1. ↑ CA Birth Index
  2. ↑ "Litter laws sweep LA drug dealers off the streets". The Independent. The Independent. April 29, 1999. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
  3. ↑ "Drowning Case Embitters US Race Relations". New York Times. New York Times. November 11, 1994. Retrieved 2009-01-10.
  4. ↑ "Campaign Carries Religious Overtones". Metropolitan News-Enterprise. Metropolitan News-Enterprise. March 2, 2000. Retrieved 2010-06-09.
  5. ↑ Charles Lindner (May 23, 1999). "In Los Angeles County, Two Courts Are Better Than One". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-06-09.
  6. ↑ KCET Life & Times Tonight (November 12, 2001). "Life & Times Transcripts". Life & Times Tonight. p. 1. Retrieved 2008-08-13.
  7. ↑ Inquiry concerning Kevin A. Ross. California Commission on Judicial Performance. November 16, 2005.
  8. ↑ "L.A. County judge faces disciplinary action over TV appearances". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Associated Press. April 20, 2005. Retrieved 2008-06-07.
  9. ↑ Kenneth Ofgang (April 20, 2006). "Removal of Judge Kevin Ross From Bench Left Standing by S.C.". Metropolitan News-Enterprise. p. 1. Retrieved 2008-06-11.
  10. ↑ State Bar Membership Records
  11. ↑ Jim Benson (May 1, 2007). "Twentieth Renews Court Blocks". Broadcasting & Cable. Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved 2009-01-08.
  12. ↑ Sherri M. Okamoto (May 12, 2008). "Defrocked Judge Turns Internet Radio Personality, Entrepreneur". Metropolitan News-Enterprise. p. 3. Retrieved 2008-06-11.
  13. ↑ Fox News Radio (October 2, 2008). "Battle of The Blog Talkers: Left vs. Right". Fox News Radio. p. 1. Retrieved 2008-10-03.
  14. ↑ "Kevin Ross to Preside Over Byron Allen's New Daytime Court Show". EUR Web. March 29, 2010. p. 1. Retrieved 2010-06-07.
  15. ↑ "Entertainment Studios Renews 'America's Court With Judge Ross' For Seasons 5 & 6". Deadline Hollywood. February 26, 2014. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Byron Allen's Entertainment Studios Launches Legal Digital Network - December 10, 2012; Hollywood Reporter". HollywoodReporter.com. Retrieved May 27, 2013.
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