Mablean Ephriam

Mablean Deloris Ephriam, Esq. (born April 23, 1949) is an American television personality and former Los Angeles prosecuting attorney. She is best known as the adjudicator of the courtroom series Divorce Court for seven seasons from 1999–2006. She was replaced by Judge Lynn Toler in the show's 2006-07 season. Ephriam is also known for her judge roles in Tyler Perry's Madea films. Ephriam returned to television in fall 2014 with a new courtroom series titled after her, Justice with Judge Mablean. The series, produced by Entertainment Studios, is airing on the Justice Central cable channel and syndicated on various stations. It is the fifth courtroom series from Entertainment Studios. Her daughter is writer/director/producer Tajamika Paxton. Legal background Ephriam was born in Hazlehurst, Mississippi but raised in Los Angeles, California, from the age of six. Although she had never actually served as a judge before presiding on Divorce Court, she came to the series with significant legal experience and knowledge of the law. She started her law career as a corrections officer in the Women's Division of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. She attended night classes at Whittier Law School where she earned her Juris Doctor degree in 1978. In 1982, she opened her own law practice, dealing mainly with personal injury and family law cases. She soon became a Los Angeles Prosecuting Attorney. Entertainment industry judge