Judge Marvin Arrington

African-American Judge Marvin Arrington, of Atlanta, Georgia, ordered all white attorneys out of his courtroom so that he could lecture African-American defendants privately. He wanted to encourage the black defendants to get their lives together, but did not want them to think he was trying to embarrass or insult them.

He told CNN, in an April 1, 2008 interview, that "in retrospect, this was a mistake" to send whites out of the room. Judge Arrington believed that by sending white people out of the courtroom, his message would have a greater impact on the all-black audience. Fast Facts:

1. Born: February 10, 1941
2. Appointed Fulton County Superior Court Judge in 2002
3. Has 2 adult children who are lawyers
4. Author of Making My Mark: The Story of a Man Who Wouldn't Stay in His Place

Judge Marvin Arrington Quotes

1. I came out and saw the defendants, about 99.9 percent Afro-Americans, and some point time I excused some of the lawyers, most of them white, and said to the young people in here ‘What in the world are you doing with your lives’
2. “I didn’t think about racism or reverse racism, I practiced law for 30 years and 75 percent of my partners were white,”
3. “I didn’t want them to think I was talking down to them; trying to embarrass them or insult them; be derogatory towards them and I was just saying ‘Please get yourself together,’

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