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"Judge Mathis," a new one-hour, reality-based court show featuring Detroit-area district Judge Greg Mathis, whose gang-to-gavel personal story is the inspiration for the series, has been sold to more than 50 stations representing more than 60% of the country for a fall 1999 debut, it was announced today by Scott Carlin, Executive Vice President, Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, and Jim Paratore, President, Telepictures Productions.

The real-life story of Judge Mathis is heart-warming and inspirational. Mathis was a gang member who had dropped out of school, was in and out of jail, and then overcame these adversities to become the youngest judge in Michigan history. As a teenager growing up in the housing projects of Detroit, Mathis was well on his way to a life of crime. But, as a promise to his dying mother, Mathis vowed to change his ways. At age 18, he turned his life around -- earning his GED (high school equivalency), continuing on to college and earning a jurist doctorate degree. Despite tremendous obstacles and odds, Mathis was elected a Superior Court Judge for Michigan's 36th District.

"Judge Mathis" will originate from Chicago and feature cases drawn from actual small claims court suits filed in the Midwest. Each day, Judge Mathis will hear up to four cases, with his decisions being legal and binding. Mathis is known for running his courtroom with a very no-nonsense style and street-wise sensibility, often using himself as an example to those who appear before him.

"It pains me to think of all the hurt that I caused my neighborhood, my community, my family," said Mathis. "That's why I've made a lifetime commitment to redeeming myself and changing my life and helping to inspire other street youth to redeem themselves and change their lives. Now, with a daily television show, I hope to be able to reach even more people with my story, and, hopefully, make an even bigger difference in the lives of others."

Judge Mathis recently resigned from the bench to focus full-time on his community efforts until he starts work on the new series."No one can deny that the court genre is extremely hot right now," said Carlin. "While court shows have traditionally drawn older viewers, we think Judge Mathis has the style, range and youthful personality to broaden the overall demographic appeal and make this court show particularly a huge success."

"Because of his background, Judge Mathis brings an entirely unique perspective to his dealings with the people who appear before him in court," said Paratore. "While he's compassionate, he's also street smart and not about to tolerate disregard for the law. This makes for compelling justice and we think it will make for very compelling television."

"Judge Mathis," which is being targeted for daytime and early fringe time periods, is being offered for cash plus barter, with a 3 1/2 minute national and 10 1/2 minute local split. Stations in the top markets clearing the series include: WPIX-TV (New York), KCAL-TV (Los Angeles), WCIU-TV (Chicago), WPSG-TV (Philadelphia), KBWB-TV (San Francisco), WSBK-TV (Boston), WBDC-TV (Washington, D.C.), KDAF-TV (Dallas), WWJ-TV (Detroit), KCPQ-TV (Seattle) and KMSP-TV (Minneapolis). "Judge Mathis," a Telepictures Production, is distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution.