Alex Ferrer facts for kids

Alejandro Enrique Ferrer (born October 18, 1960), known as Judge Alex, is an American television personality, lawyer, and retired judge. He was the judge on the TV show Judge Alex.

Early Life and Education

Alex Ferrer was born in Havana, Cuba in 1960. When he was just one year old, his family moved to the United States. He went to Rockway Junior High School.

While working as a police officer, Ferrer studied hard. He earned a Bachelor of Professional Studies degree from Barry University. Later, he got his law degree (a J.D.) from the University of Miami. He even wrote for the university's law review. He also helped lead the university's alumni association for judges.

Career as a Legal Expert

At 19, Alex Ferrer started his career as a police officer in Florida. After that, he became a lawyer in Miami. He worked on many different types of civil cases. These included cases about medical mistakes, serious accidents, and business disagreements.

Becoming a Judge

In 1995, Ferrer became a judge in the criminal division of the 11th judicial circuit. This area covers Miami-Dade County. He spent ten years as a judge, handling many criminal cases. He also heard appeals from lower courts and other government groups.

From 1999 to 2001, he was chosen to represent judges on an important committee. He is a member of the Florida Bar and the District of Columbia Bar Association. Judge Ferrer has also taught law at Florida International University. He taught other judges about how to talk to the media.

Because his parents came from Cuba, Judge Ferrer speaks both English and Spanish very well.

Important Cases as a Judge

Judge Alex Ferrer was involved in some very important cases. He presided over trials involving members of the Sun Gym gang.

Sun Gym Gang Trials

On July 17, 1998, Judge Ferrer oversaw the trials of Daniel Lugo and Adrian Doorbal. These individuals were involved in very serious crimes. Judge Ferrer made decisions about their sentences for these offenses.

Marc Schiller's Case

In February 1999, Judge Ferrer helped Marc Schiller. Schiller was a victim of the Sun Gym gang. Before he was kidnapped, Schiller had been involved in some financial wrongdoing. He was facing a long time in jail. Judge Ferrer spoke up for Schiller, which was very unusual for a sitting judge. He said that Schiller's bravery helped bring the criminals to justice. Because of this, Schiller's jail time was greatly reduced.

Preston v. Ferrer Case

In 2005, a lawyer named Arnold Preston said that Judge Ferrer owed him money. Preston had worked for Ferrer under a special contract. Ferrer argued that Preston was acting as a talent agent without a license. Under California law, this would make their contract invalid.

The big question was: should a judge or an arbitrator (a neutral person who settles disputes) decide this issue? This question went all the way to the United States Supreme Court. In 2008, the Supreme Court decided that an arbitrator should decide if Preston broke California's talent agency law.

Television Appearances

Judge Alex was a popular reality court show in America. Judge Alex Ferrer was the judge on the show. It started on September 12, 2005, and ran for nine seasons.

Judge Alex also appeared on other TV shows. He was on 1 vs. 100 in 2007. He also appeared on Fox News Channel's Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld and Verdict with Dan Abrams. In 2008, he was on Trivial Pursuit: America Plays. He even played for charity during a special "Judges Week" program. Judge Alex was also on an episode of America's Most Wanted in 2010.

He worked as a legal expert for Orlando, Florida's WOFL Fox 35 and the Fox News Channel. He gave his legal opinion during the Casey Anthony trial in 2011 and the George Zimmerman trial in 2013.

In 2018, Ferrer started hosting a true-crime TV series called Whistleblower on the CBS network.

Personal Life

Alex Ferrer lives in the Miami area. He lives with his wife, Jane, their two children, and their dog, Eevee.