Marilyn Milian (born May 1, 1961), better known as Judge Milian, is an American television personality, lecturer, and retired Florida Circuit Court judge. Since March 12, 2001, Milian has presided over the long-running American courtroom television series The People's Court, replacing Jerry Sheindlin, and has been with the program ever since. Milian is the first Hispanic arbitrator to preside over a court show and during The People's Court's 2012-2013 season she became the show's longest-serving judge, surpassing Joseph Wapner, the show's inaugural jurist. Early life Milian was born in Manhattan to Cuban parents Jorge, a general contractor, and Georgina Milian. She spoke Spanish before learning English and is fluent in both languages. The family moved from Astoria, Queens, to Miami when she was eight years old. She graduated from St. Brendan High School. Milian earned her undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Miami. She then attended Georgetown University Law Center, earning her J.D. She spent a year working at Harvard Law School, where she served as director of training for the Guatemala Project. She was responsible for training the Guatemalan trial judiciary, defense, and prosecution bar in investigatory and trial techniques. Career Legal career Milian was appointed assistant state attorney for the Dade County State Attorney's Office by Janet Reno, who was then the county's state attorney. After ten years in that position, she then worked for the Miami County Court, serving in the domestic violence, criminal, and civil divisions. In 1999, Florida governor Jeb Bush appointed Milian to the Miami Circuit Court, where she served in the Criminal Division. In 2001, she replaced Jerry Sheindlin as judge of The People's Court, and became the first Hispanic judge on any English-language television court show. Milian has listed as an adjunct faculty member of the University of Miami School of Law, teaching litigation skills. The People's Court Milian serves as presiding judge in the second life of the courtroom show The People's Court, the first arbitration-based reality court show and the second-longest running court show in history. Milian has presided over the program since the spring of 2001, which was late in The People's Courts 17th season (or the fourth season of the revived version of the show). The People's Court has featured several arbitrators, with Milian currently holding the title of the longest-presiding arbitrator over the series. By the completion of the show's 28th season (2012–13), Milian had