Third Circuit Court Judge Bradley L. Cobb.
He’s a man of the cloth and the law.
Third Circuit Court Judge Bradley L. Cobb was recently appointed to his post by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer who made the announcement official in mid-September.
“You can count on me to ‘do justice, love mercy and walk humbly’ as I serve all the citizens of Wayne County,” Cobb posted online recently. “I solicit your prayers during my pursuit to do what is right more now than ever before.”
Bradley has served the citizens of Wayne County as an assistant prosecuting attorney for 25 years. During his quarter century of public service, he has held several positions in the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office.
“I am proud to appoint Bradley Cobb to the bench in Wayne County,” Whitmer said. “A long-time attorney with a range of experience, I am confident that Bradley will uphold the rule of law and serve the people of Michigan admirably.”
When Prosecutor Kym Worthy took over the Prosecutor’s Office, Bradley was chosen to supervise the Diversion Unit and did so for over four years.
For the next nine years, he supervised the Community Prosecution Unit and later the Violent Crimes Unit. In addition to mentoring younger APAs, Bradley maintained a large docket and tried several non-fatal shooting cases a year. Since late 2018, he has served as a Docket Attorney in the General Trials Division where he reviews cases for plea offers and trains new trial attorneys. He also serves as a Chaplain for the WCPO.
Bradley is a member of the ABA, Detroit Bar, the Wolverine Bar, NAACP, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists-Detroit Chapter, and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
Cobb, also a pastor at Mount Beulah Baptist Church in Detroit for over a decade, moved to the Detroit area around 1989.
He is active in the community where his church is located, providing food, clothing and other resources to the less fortunate, and told the Michigan Chronicle that he has met some defense attorneys over the years who were pastors but never in his role before.
“I’m the first prosecutor who has been a pastor and when people ask me and they kind of say, ‘Isn’t that kind of contradictory?’ I think it’s perfect, particularly for an African American pastor. You come with cultural sensitivity, the compassion. You understand that justice is part of the Biblical text and context and so is mercy. So, I think that me leaning on that over the years has made me a better prosecutor.”
Following his graduation from law school, Cobb worked as a pre-hearing attorney for the Michigan Court of Appeals reviewing criminal and civil appeals and writing legal memorandums.
Cobb earned his Juris Doctor degree from Wayne State University Law School. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Wright State University. He lives in Canton with his wife, Bernadine, and their two daughters.
“I am so grateful to Governor Whitmer for appointing me to a seat on the 3rd Judicial Circuit Court bench that will allow me to continue to serve the citizens of Wayne County,” said Cobb. “I have committed myself to public service for over 25 years and in this new role, I look forward to making a positive impact on the lives of the entire Wayne County community. I vow to be fair, cordial, seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly as I carry out the duties of the office to which Governor Whitmer has appointed me.”
This appointment was made to fill a partial term, which will commence on October 10, 2022, and expire at noon on January 1, 2025, following the resignation of Judge Lawrence Talon effective April 15, 2022. If Mr. Cobb wishes to serve the remainder of Judge Talon’s term, expiring January 1, 2027, he would be required to run for reelection in November of 2024.
Cobb told the Michigan Chronicle that his career highlights included trying so many different homicide cases, among others, but some things stick out more than others.
“Being promoted into management and being able to mentor young prosecutors – those would be my highlights,” he said of his impact with others. “Trying to get them to see through the eyes [of the law] as best they can for the citizens of Detroit. … We’re there to serve all of Wayne county.”
Judicial appointments are not subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.
Cobb said through it all, he wants his work to shine and be an exemplary template of what justice is all about.
“It’s about justice and being fair and having a system of being accessible to everyone no matter race, creed, color, convention,” he said.
About Post Author
