Outspoken, no-nonsense real-life judicial officer Judge Lynn from TV’s Divorce Court joins Attorney Laura Wasser and It’s Over Easy Chief Content Officer Johnnie Raines for a frank conversation about the relationship between Black men in America and the police. We discuss the #BlackLivesMatter movement, police brutality and what the non-profit organization she supports called Bloom365 is doing to help eliminate Domestic Violence by going into schools to teach kids about healthy relationships. Judge Lynn also spills the tea on what she’s planning in her next chapter after leaving the venerable television series Divorce Court that she’s hosted for the past 13 years. This is one you won’t want to miss!

Highlights of what we discussed in this episode include:

• According to a Pew Research Study done June 4-10, Americans are talking to family and friends about race and racial equality: 69%, of those surveyed, including majorities across racial and ethnic groups, say they have done so in last month.
• And 37% of those who use social networking sites say they have posted or shared content related to ethnicity or ethnic equality on these sites during this period.
• For example, in case some of you might not be on tiktok, this was shared on may 31st by an interacial couple, dancers allison holker and Stephen ‘twitch’ Boss.
• In the video, the couple take the “check your privilege challenge while their 4-year-old-son sits on Twitch’s lap:
  • Tap here to play this TikTok video all the way through
  • Note, this video is discussed in the HuffPost article below:
    • Title: This Is What It’s Like For Interracial Couples In America Right Now
    • Published: 6/9/2020
    • Author: Brittany Wong (Senior Lifestyle Reporter)
    • Summary: Interracial couples share their experiences with trying to educate and inform white peers about the Black experience in America, including what’s been called “white debt”: the idea that the American economy as we know it was built on slavery. As The New York Times’ stunning “1619” podcast broke it down last year, Black bodies were actually used as full or partial collateral for land by slave owners.
• How far, and yet not so far have we come since Loving v. Virgina (from History.com)
  • The landmark civil rights decision of the U.S. Supreme Court that struck down laws banning interracial marriage as violations of the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
  • The plaintiffs in the case were Richard and Mildred Loving, a white man and black woman whose marriage was deemed illegal according to Virginia state law.
  • With the help of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Lovings appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled unanimously that so-called “anti-miscegenation” statutes were unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment.
  • The decision is often cited as a watershed moment in the dismantling of “Jim Crow” race laws.
  • The Loving case was a challenge to centuries of American laws banning miscegenation, i.e., any marriage or interbreeding among different races.
  • June 12 is now known as Loving Day — which is a play on the last name of the plaintiffs in the landmark case — and has become a celebration of a decision that would forever change matrimony in America.
  • The feature film Loving is out now on HBO and stars Joel Edgerton as Richard Loving and Ruth Negga as Mildred Loving

About Today's Guest Judge Lynn Toller

• Early Life & Family
  • Judge Lynn has been married to Eric Mumford since April,1989 (33 years!)
  • She has two sons and four stepsons
  • The 2002 Humanitarian of the Year Award given to her by The Cleveland Domestic Violence Center. In 2009, she was given the Voice of Freedom Award from the Philadelphia Chapter of the Martin Luther King where she was honored to join the ranks of previous recipients, Vice-President Al Gore and Colin Powell.
• Divorce Court & Beyond (from her bio and her website)
  • Judge Lynn became the host of Divorce Court in 2006. 
  • In 2007, she expanded her television presence by becoming the host of the primetime television show, Decision House.  
  • In 2008 and 2009, Judge Lynn was a regular contributor on News and Notes, a daily news show on National Public Radio (NPR). 
  • In 2009, she became a co-executive producer of Wedlock or Deadlock, a new syndicated series based on a segment of Divorce Court.
• Advocacy Against Domestic Violence (from her website & the AJC)
  • Standing Board Member at Bloom365, an organization dedicated to preventing domestic violence
  • In her recent interview with the Atlanta Journal Constitution she expressed concerns about domestic violence during COVID-19
    • “Domestic violence agencies have seen a significant downturn in calls,” Toler said. “Victims are stuck in their homes. They can’t go anywhere. This lack of contact is worrisome.”

All Black Lives Matter & Police Brutality Against Black Men

• VIOLENCE IN ALL IT’S FORMS IS HORRIBLE, AND WE SPEAK ABOUT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE QUITE FREQUENTLY HERE ON ALL’S FAIR, BUT A NEW TOPIC, AT LEAST HERE ON OUR SHOW, IS THE TOPIC OF RACIAL VIOLENCE, PARTICULARLY THE USE OF FATAL FORCE BY THE POLICE AGAINST BLACK MEN, AND SADLY AS WE SEE WITH THE CASE OF MS. BREONNA TAYLOR, WOMEN AS WELL.
• AND THEN THERE'S THE MOST RECENT MURDER OF A BLACK MAN BY A POLICE OFFICER TO COME TO LIGHT--THE MURDER IN ATLANTA OF RAYSHAD BROOKS
  • Tap to play video from Facebook

• and In Sunday’s LA Times Anita Chabria and Emerelda Bermudez interviewed some of the families who have lost a loved one to police violence, including the families of Mikel McIntyre, Oscar Grant III, Ryan Twyman, christopher murphy, and Anthony Vargas
  • • The pain never goes away
    • (and) every new fatal encounter with law enforcement makes it raw again… in the article, the journalists deduce that there are two truths most OF THESE FAMILIES agree on:

WE MUST say their names, and we must TALK ABOUT THIS…

Life After Divorce Court

• Questions for Judge Lynn
  • Earlier this year, you announced your departure from Divorce Court after 13 years—what’s next for you? (Deadline Hollywood Article about her exit)
  • In your book Making Marriage Work: New Rules For An Old Institution you share secrets for a successful marriage – let’s talk a little bit about the role of timing in a lasting relationship
    • In her recent interview with the Atlanta Journal Constitution, she says:
      • …she knows when to broach a topic with her husband. She won’t just blurt an issue out because she needs to get it out.
      • “We understand it’s the issue; it’s not us,” she said. “I come in low and slow. ‘Baby, I don’t want to start no trouble. Here are my concerns, baby.’ He knows I’m about to say something negative, but I am not aggressive. I am just trying to resolve it. And you have to listen as opposed to saying there is just one way to do it.”
      • Sometimes, she’ll wait until his stomach is full, and he’s relaxed. Then she strikes. And even then, they can usually resolve issues in a matter of minutes. “We raise it,” she said. “We resolve it.”