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Lynn Toler

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Lynn Toler
Toler in November 2006
Born
Lynn Candace Toler

(1959-10-25) October 25, 1959 (age 65)
Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
EducationHarvard University (AB) University of Pennsylvania (JD)
Occupations
  • Judge
  • lawyer
  • arbitrator
Years active2001–present
Political partyRepublican (until 2016) [1]
Independent (2016–present) [2]
Spouse
Eric Mumford
​
​
(m. 1989; died 2022)​
Children6
WebsiteOfficial website

Lynn Candace Toler (born October 25, 1959)[3][4] is an American lawyer, judge, television arbitrator, and television presenter, best-known for her role as arbitrator on Divorce Court. With her 14 seasons on the show, between 2006 and 2020, Toler is the longest-reigning arbitrator on the series.

Toler is also known for her co-hosting role (together with Dr. Ish Major) as a marriage mentor for the series Marriage Boot Camp, specifically Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars - Hip Hop Edition. To date, Toler has presented Marriage Boot Camp for three seasons since the show's 16th season, which began on February 6, 2020.[5][6] Season 18 of Marriage Boot Camp premiered on October 17, 2021, and Toler was contracted to host the show for an additional 19th season as well, with the series concluding in 2022.[7]

Early life and education

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Lynn Toler was born in Columbus, Ohio.[8] She graduated from Columbus School for Girls, and went on to earn an undergraduate degree in English and American Literature from Harvard College (class of 1981) and a Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania Law School (1984).[9]

Career

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In 1993, at 34-years-old and after working as an attorney specializing in civil matters, Toler won her first judicial race by just six votes, as a Republican in a predominantly Democratic district.[10][11] From 1994-2000, she served as Cleveland Heights Municipal Court's sole judge, with her cases involving all misdemeanor crimes, traffic violations, and minor-cost civil cases.[12] Toler was known for enforcing non-traditional judgments, such as handwritten essays, and for creating mentoring and intervention programs.[10][11] During this time, she served on many boards, including The Juvenile Diabetes Board, The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI), and The Cleveland Domestic Violence Center.[citation needed] In 2002, she received the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the latter organization.[citation needed]

Between 2001 and 2006, Toler was an adjunct professor at Ursuline College in Pepper Pike, Ohio, where she taught courses on Civil Rights Law and Women's Rights.[citation needed]

Television and entertainment career

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Court show judge (2001-2020)

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During the 2001-02 television season, Toler replaced Andrew Napolitano as the presiding judge over the nontraditional courtroom series, Power of Attorney.[10] The program was canceled after that television year, however, with the show as a whole only lasting two seasons.[10]

Toler experienced much greater success within the court-show genre when she became arbitrating judge over Divorce Court, the longest-running program in the court television genre, and one of the longest-syndicated programs of all time. Toler took over the bench beginning on September 11, 2006, with the premiere of the court show's 24th season, replacing Mablean Ephriam[10][13] (of whom Toler has said she is fond and with whom Toler has had pleasant interactions).[14] Toler would eventually become Divorce Court's longest-reigning judge (the series also features four other judges who have each had their tenures), presiding over the broadcast for 14 seasons. As the level-headed arbiter of Divorce Court, Toler was frequently seen providing counsel, words of wisdom, and trying to talk sense into the show's often outrageous couples. She used her vehement expression, emphasis, and strident vocal timbre to deliver her points.

In 2007, while hosting Divorce Court, she expanded her television presence by hosting the prime time television show and MyNetworkTV's Decision House, a couples therapy program.[15] In 2008 and 2009, Toler was a regular contributor on News and Notes, a weekly news show on National Public Radio (NPR).[16]

Toler departed Divorce Court after 14 years, announced publicly in March 2020.[17] During an October 19, 2021, interview on Bailiff Byrd's Bonding with Byrd web series, Toler elaborated on details of her Divorce Court resignation, citing a list of dissatisfactions she had with production. Among them, Toler recounted efforts made by production to move the program into a more farcical, comedic direction following the popularity of her "Rolling Ray" Divorce Court case.[14][18] Toler has also cited various other objections she had during her final season, such as the show's relocation from Los Angeles to Atlanta and a vastly altered, simulated "courtroom" set design that led to her having physical discomfort while ruling on cases. During the Bonding with Byrd interview, Toler also cited regular altercations with the Divorce Court crew, thus fueling her decision to resign from the program. Still, she has expressed grace for the opportunity to preside over the court show, which has since been presided over by Faith Jenkins (2020-2022) and Star Jones (2022-).[19][20]

During her interview with Byrd, Toler added that while she didn't miss the show, as she had chosen to leave, she did miss the show in the form it was presented in prior to her final season.[19][20]

Post-Divorce Court

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Since February 2020, Toler has hosted the We TV hit series, Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars.[5][6]

In May 2023, streaming service Allblk announced a deal with Toler where she would write and executive produce the drama Judge Me Not.[11][21] The show was loosely based on her life, focusing on a Black female judge who joins an Atlanta municipal court after being elected by six votes.[11][21][22]

Authoring career

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Toler is the author of My Mother's Rules: A Practical Guide to Becoming an Emotional Genius, in which she describes lessons her mother, Shirley (nicknamed Toni), taught her to handle both her father Bill Toler's erratic behavior and her own inner demons. She describes how this later came in handy when dealing with emotional people from the bench. She also discusses how to apply these rules to everyday life.

In 2009, her second book, Put it In Writing (co-authored with Deborah Hutchison), was published. This book contains agreements for use in common but uncomfortable situations between family and friends, such as lending money, and grown children returning home.

Judge Toler is also author of Making Marriage Work and Dear Sonali, Letters to the Daughter I Never had.

Personal life

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Toler resides in Mesa, Arizona. Toler and her husband, Eric Mumford, married on April 6, 1989, and Toler has two sons and four stepsons.[23][24] On January 4, 2023, Judge Toler announced via social media that Eric Mumford passed away on December 23, 2022.[23][24]

Though identifying as a political Independent since 2017, and having once served as an Ohio judge as a Republican, Toler has donated exclusively to candidates aligned with the Democratic Party including Jaime Harrison, Amy McGrath, and President Joe Biden.[25]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Judge Lynn Toler: Yes, I'm Republican". FOXY N.C. 24 September 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  2. ^ "Tweet by Judge Lynn Toler". Twitter. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  3. ^ "Meet Judge Lynn". Divorce Court. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  4. ^ "JudgeLynn.com". Lynn Toler. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  5. ^ a b "'Marriage Requires Sacrifice': Judge Lynn Toler On Divorce & 'Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition'". Los Angeles CBS Local. United States. January 27, 2020. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  6. ^ a b Rogers, Chris (February 6, 2020). "'Marriage Boot Camp': Judge Lynn Toler Grills Cee Lo & Joseline Hernandez OnRomance Issues". Hollywood Life. United States. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  7. ^ Priola, Victoria (October 7, 2021). "'Marriage Boot Camp' returns with 'Hip Hop Edition' tonight: How to watch and stream for free". Silive. United States. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  8. ^ "Divorce Court's Judge Lynn Toler chats with 50BOLD". 50bold. April 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  9. ^ "Lynn C. Toler Lawyer Profile - martindale.com". martindale.com. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  10. ^ a b c d e Meiser, Rebecca (June 14, 2006). "Here Comes the Judge". Cleveland Scene. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  11. ^ a b c d Ho, Randy (May 30, 2023). "INTERVIEW: Judge Lynn Toler creates fictionalized drama about her life on ALLBLK's 'Judge Me Not'". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  12. ^
  13. ^ [1] Archived March 12, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ a b Byrd, Petri Hawkins; Bond, Markita (October 19, 2018). "Bonding With Byrd: Episode 65". YouTube. United States. Archived from the original on 2021-12-17. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  15. ^ Judge Lynn Toler to Host MyNetworkTV's "Decision House", Broadcasting & Cable, July 13, 2007
  16. ^ "Dealing With Addiction From The Judge's Bench". NPR. August 13, 2008. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  17. ^ "Divorce Court's Lynn Toler Exits Series After '13 Great Years' as She Praises Her Replacement". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
  18. ^ "Divorce Court, you won't believe what you're watching is real". 99.9KTDY. 2021-06-21.
  19. ^ a b "Judge Lynn Toler Was a Staple of 'Divorce Court' so Where Did She Go?". Distractify. 2020-04-24.
  20. ^ a b "Lynn Toler on why she's leaving 'Divorce Court' and whether this pandemic will lead to more domestic violence and divorce". TheAtlantaConstitution. 2021-04-12.
  21. ^ a b Bowe, Jillian (May 1, 2023). "Judge Lynn Toler's Legal Soap Judge Me Not Premieres May 25 on ALLBLK". Daytime Confidential. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  22. ^ "New show inspired by Judge Lynn Toler's life". Fox5 Atlanta. May 23, 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  23. ^ a b Brown, Prezzy (January 5, 2023). "Judge Lynn Toler's Husband, Eric Mumford, Dead At 71". Vibe. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  24. ^ a b Grove, Rashad (January 6, 2023). "Judge Lynn Toler's Husband Eric Mumford Has Passed Away". Ebony. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  25. ^ "Indidvidual Contributions". fec.gov. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
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