By Samuel Newhouse
Brooklyn Daily Eagle

BROOKLYN — Tuesday on WPIX-TV, “Judge Mazz� introduced some common wisdom into a loan dispute that he presided over on the streets where the plaintiffs lived. “Is she your type?� Judge Mazz asked the defendant about his girlfriend, who was involved in the claim. The man said no. “Then why are you in a relationship with this woman?� Judge Mazz asked.

Judge Mazz isn’t really a member of the bench, but he’s a Brooklyn-born attorney who’s bringing his sense of justice to the streets in “Street Court� — an innovative new program in which disputes and small civil claims across the country are resolved right at the original location of the dispute.

“It’s justice at the scene and people are loving it,� said Michael Mazzariello, who goes by the moniker “Judge Mazz� on the show. “Justice is making house calls.�

The show premiered Sept. 21. About 80 cases have been filmed in locations like Rhode Island, New Jersey and California — and they’re heading to more cities like Chicago in the near future. The show is broadcast weekdays on WPIX-TV from 1–2 p.m.

“Not bad, considering I took the 3-train from New Lots Avenue to Borough Hall every day for 20 years,� Mazzariello joked.

Mazzariello, 50, isn’t a real judge, but he’s got a real instinct for the law, which helps him sort out the disputes of common folk right there on the street.

He doesn’t have the typical courtroom items, like a gavel or robes — but his sidekick on the show is a female court officer who stares down unruly claimants and keeps the peace. He worked for the Kings County District Attorney’s Office as an assistant prosecutor in the early ‘90s and then became chief prosecutor for the city’s Board of Education.

He also founded East New York Legal Services, a walk-in nonprofit law firm on New York Avenue, where he was born and raised. He went to St. Joseph’s College and CUNY Law School.

The show is just starting to develop an audience among fans of reality court television. Judge Mazz’s common-sense approach and sense of fairness make him the perfect arbitrator to resolve disputes for the people whose claims get picked up by the show — and get resolved right on the street at the location where they occurred.

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