Local jurist stars on TV show ‘Hot Bench’
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Judge Michael Corriero serves as one of three judges on the hit CBS
show “Hot Bench.” Photo courtesy of The Brooklyn Paper
BY NATALLIE ROCHA
He’s so hot right now!
Brooklyn Heights Judge Michael
Corriero dispenses justice
fi ve days a week on his hit
daytime television show “Hot
Bench,” much like he did during
his decades-long tenure as
a New York jurist.
Corriero spent 28 years in
the criminal courts of New
York State, 16 of them presiding
over Manhattan’s Youth
Part, a special court he created
to bring attention to young offenders
being prosecuted as
adults. He continued his work
with the city’s youth after retiring
in 2008, when he became
Executive Director of Big
Brothers Big Sisters of New
York City, and then established
the New York Center for Juvenile
Justice.
Then an old friend, Judy
Sheindlin — known nationwide
as the honorable Judge
Judy — asked him to lend his
talents to her syndicated show
featuring a panel of three
judges. Now Corriero sits on
the “Hot Bench” next to two
other judges — Judge Patricia
Dimango and Judge Tanya
Acker — and the trio reach a
whopping 3.2-million viewers
each weekday. The native New
Yorker now splits his time between
Los Angeles and Brooklyn
Heights, but found time to
chat with this paper about his
infl uences and his love for the
city’s biggest borough.
Natallie Rocha: What inspired
you to study law?
Michael Corriero: I grew
up across the street from the
Manhattan court system —
they called it “the Tombs.” I
was always curious about what
was happening in that building.
I would play a game with
my buddies where we would
try and get past the offi cers
and play in the bowels of the
building. We would see the offi
cers and defenders of criminal
law at the corner of Baxter
and White Street and it was really
the entire atmosphere that
drew me in.
NR: What draws you to juvenile
justice reform?
MC: What drew me in initially
was wanting to work
with young people who found
themselves outside the letter of
the law. If people saw me at the
corner of Mulberry and Hester
Street when I was 15 or 16 years
old, they never would have
imagined that this kid would
grow up to be a judge. I grew
up on the mean streets of Little
Italy and I had to navigate big
points in time where one step
in the wrong direction could
obstruct a meaningful career. I
am fortunate and I always want
to communicate how valuable
education is. In this country,
we believe that knowledge is
power. We believe in the idea
that no matter who you are or
where you come from, you can
succeed. Neither my mother
nor my father had a formal education,
but they recognized
how valuable education was.
NR: Growing up, did you
ever get out of Manhattan to explore
Brooklyn?
MC: Brooklyn was always
a place I wanted to be. When
I was young, I wanted to go to
Coney Island with my friends
during the summer. My mom
let us take the subway to the
beach. There was one part of
the subway where it was an
elevated ride and you could
see all of Brooklyn and the
neighborhoods, it was beautiful.
Brooklyn was like its own
country.
Brooklyn Beat Hot Seat
Favorite restaurant: Antica
Pesa in Williamsburg
(115 Berry St. between N. Seventh
and N. Eighth streets). It
is owned by a Roman family
and they have one of the same
name in Italy.
Favorite spot: Brooklyn
Heights Promenade. Since it’s
my neighborhood, I like to walk
the dog and jog through there.
It gives you a nice perspective
of Manhattan — seeing it all
is a dreamlike experience and
it is the best in the early morning.
It is what defi nes Brooklyn
Heights.
Favorite landmark: As a
judge, on my way to work at the
Supreme Court, I would drive
across the Brooklyn Bridge.
The architecture was almost
like the gates to a medieval city
and it always inspired me.
“Hot Bench” airs weekdays
on WCBS-TV Channel 2 from
9-10 a.m.