Detroit native, Devlin Scarber is a well respected attorney based out of Southfield, Michigan.
As a trial attorney with Turner & Turner law firm for the past 14 years, Scarber has won noteworthy cases for his clients. As an advocate for justice and a representative for the people who have been denied equal justice, Scarber has also done a lot of work as a court appointed attorney. He is also a court appointed guardian ad litem with the Wayne County Probate Court. At the tender age of 41, he is now pursuing a different part of the courtroom. Scarber is running for 46th District Court judge. “I’ve been fighting for rights for a very long time, I am now at the point where I want to make sure that those rights are being carried out and people are actually receiving their rights. It’s one thing to be an advocate and it’s another to be the one overseeing justice” Scarber expresses.
Although Scarber may be the first African American male to actually sit as 46th District Court judge, his family is not new to creating history. Scarber has been hungry for justice from the day he heard his grandmother’s story. Mary Ruth Ross, an African American woman from Birmingham Alabama, moved to Michigan in the early fifties. As an educator, she sought to obtain full time employment at a then all white public school district in Taylor, Michigan. Ross was told she could only be a substitute teacher. Ross would not accept that and took her case to the Michigan Supreme Court who decided in the 1965 case of Ross v Taylor Township School Board that she be allowed to become a full time teacher in the Taylor Public School District. She became the district’s first African American school teacher. “I’ve carried my grandmother’s legacy and the fight for equality and fairness. I can’t think of a better way to honor the legacy of my family than for me to become judge” says Scarber. In the history of Southfield, there has only been one other African American male to run for 46th District Court judge, but none have ever held the position.
Scarber became an attorney because he wanted to help people and make sure people were being treated fairly. He hopes to be an inspiration to the young men and women of our community by showing them that you don’t always have to be the person sitting before the judge but you can also become a judge. Scarber says that he’s aware that many African Americans have biases about the judicial system, but he hopes to alter those biases. “I know the viewpoint of the judicial system in our community and I’d like to be more of an influence. I’d like to be able to restore the faith in our judicial system.” Scarber says that he is honored to be qualified to run and possibly hold the distinctive position of 46th District Court judge.
Scarber has been married for thirteen years and he and his wife have two daughters. He loves his community and wants to continue to see it grow. He tutors law students and helps them prepare to be fine attorneys. He is also a musician and has a special place in his heart for music. Scarber dedicates almost every Sunday to playing his saxophone for his church choir. “I am a man of faith and I believe that when we’ve been given a talent or a gift we are to use it to inspire others” Scarber expresses.
A Southfield resident of nearly twenty years, Scarber has been dedicated to serving his community and hopes to serve the City of Southfield as 46th District Court judge.
About Post Author
