Recently, popular television judge, Judge Glenda Hatchett sat down for a conversation with WAOK reflecting on her life including her passionate work with juveniles, her successful stint at Delta Airlines, becoming a victim of sexual assault, her two books, and her work at Stewart Miller Simmons Law Group.
“WAOK will always have a special place in my heart. I used to listen to Brother Esmond Patterson blasting him on my way to work with those juveniles,” said Hatchett.
“Working with juveniles was a God thing and the real impetus is because I would not have done it if it was not juveniles,” she said. Hatchett added, she enjoyed her work because it was an opportunity to make a real difference. Plus, she was good at it. She was effective at reducing the recidivism rate to single digits and school absentee rates were also reduced.
She recalled a funny story in which she was reprimanded by her then boss, Lewis Graham, after he learned she had chauffeured a group of kids to school she saw on the corner during school hours.
“You can’t do that anymore. It’s just not safe. We are trying to keep you safe,” Graham said.
Some 24 years ago, people got to know Judge Hatchett from her popular television show, which she says strived to make a difference by offering therapy, interventions, and life lessons. “My goal was for people to leave my court better than when they came,” she said.
Surprisingly, Hatchett said she never intended to practice law. She attended law school to “broaden her options.” She recalled, at one time she was the highest-ranking woman of any color at Delta Airlines, where she never lost a case. That’s pretty good for someone who never intended to practice law.
Hatchett also said, “She never intended to be the poster the child for sexual assault,” referring to her 2023 sexual assault case in which she was ironically sexually assaulted at a reception for the Georgia Sheriff’s Association. Hatchett says she is grateful for her platform to speak about the incident and the support received.
She is also the author of two books, “Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say”, and “Take Charge,” which is on the national best sellers list.
I’m proud of this new generation. I’m practicing law with my adopted son, Chris Stewart of Stewart Miller Simmons Law Group.
“I take great pride because I’m like an elder in the village and they treat me like a queen,” she added.
She wants to remind people that she is not just a judge; she also is a great lawyer, and she is available. Please locate her on social media at Judge Glenda Hatchett, on her website, Judgehatchett.com, or by telephone at 404-467-6000.