Gay Judge Gets Series, Breaks Into Show Tunes

CULVER CITY, Calif. (TNA) – Most gays come out of the closet. David Young, however, is coming out of the chamber. Young is set to become the first openly gay judge to appear on daytime television.

With a propensity to break into show tunes while on the bench, Young will star in "Judge David Young," a new half-hour court series that debuts on Monday, Sept. 10.

Out of the closet and onto  the bench

Don’t be mistaken by the flaky exterior, however. The judge is no creampuff.

A one-time law clerk for renowned attorney F. Lee Bailey, and assistant state attorney in Florida under Janet Reno, Young achieved local celebrity status for his creative courtroom approach and his tough but fair sentencing on several prominent cases during his three-term service in the courtrooms of Miami-Dade County.

He first gained national attention in May 2005 when he sentenced two America West airline pilots to jail for attempting to operate a plane while intoxicated.

Known for his quirky sentencing, Young once dropped an opera singer’s disorderly conduct charge in exchange for an aria in front of the court. He also sentenced an 87-year-old woman to 31 years in prison, compensating for the amount of time she spent on the lam for a murder charge.

In his first week on the bench, Judge Young will preside over several oddball cases, including a woman who goes berserk over her stolen pet parrot, estranged lovers who bicker over porn, and a man who returns to his stables to find his horse was sold.

According to the show’s web site, Young is a huge fan of Broadway musicals and “an avid collector of penguin items.”

Although the show is produced in New York, Young lives in Miami with his partner of 12 years, Judge Scott Bernstein.