Judge David Young

As a criminal court judge in Miami, I had to squelch my personal opinions for almost 15 years. Sitting judges are never allowed to express themselves on the issues of the day.

We are not allowed to say anything that might be perceived as bias if that issue ever came before us in court. It’s not that we don’t have opinions; it’s just that we can’t say them out loud.

Judges have been kicked off the bench for violating these strict rules. It can be quite frustrating.

But lucky for me, my freedom of speech was essentially restored when I stepped down from the Miami bench to become a TV judge. When most judges leave the bench, they are finally able to talk with friends and neighbors about current events. Ha! Friends and neighbors are fine, but now I get to share my thoughts with the entire country. It is awesome. Simply awesome.

For example, I cannot tell you how thrilled I was to be asked to comment on national news for the first time (on the Fox News Channel, no less!) about Paris Hilton’s alleged million-dollar deal with NBC for her first post-jail interview.

Since my national news debut on Fox News, I have been invited to serve as a legal commentator for TV, radio and in print. I have given my opinion on all kinds of mishaps involving today’s pop culture icons, including Lindsay Lohan, Nicole Ritchie, Sen. Larry Craig, Sean Combs, Kiefer Sutherland, O.J. Simpson and, of course, Britney and Fed-X.

Although I don’t exactly feel sorry for Sen. Craig, my heart goes out to Britney and K-Fed’s children. If I were the judge presiding in that case, I think I just might have the chance to do some good for their family. Their judge must take an aggressive, pro-active approach. That means making sure that Britney is in drug rehab (an in-patient program of the court’s choosing, for several months in length, away from the media focus — and certainly not some cushy drug spa), and both Britney and Kevin should attend parental counseling. Kevin should probably be required to submit to mandatory drug testing and attend Narcotics Anonymous meetings as well.

Whatever the court’s solution, I hope and pray for the welfare of those children. The parents are adults. Even if they feel (wrongly) that as celebrities they are above the law, I suppose that’s their choice. But these children made no such choice. They deserve to live in a nurturing, healthy home. I have seen how devastating it can be for children whose parents engage in drug-addicted behavior. These children deserve better.

Being a TV judge is an indescribable privilege. If you had said 18 months ago, as I sat in my chambers in Miami, that I would be commenting publicly on celebrity justice and real issues of our time, I would have told you to stop partying so hard with Britney Spears. This road I’m on now is certainly unexpected, but I feel like one of the luckiest guys on the planet.