Judge Yodit Tewolde

Biography

Judge Yodit Tewolde serves as one of three judges on CBS Media Ventures’ Emmy-nominated syndicated court program HOT BENCH, created by Judge Judy Sheindlin. Now in its 10^th season, HOT BENCH is the #1syndicated court show in original production, averaging nearly two million viewers. It ranks in the top 10 first-run shows in all of syndication, and delivers the sixth most loyal audience in syndication, with 26% of its audience watching the show at least three times a week.

Prior to joining HOT BENCH, Tewolde was the host of “Making the Case,” a nightly criminal justice show on BNC, (now The Grio TV). She was also a host-contributor on “America’s Most Wanted” and the morning anchor for Court TV where she covered major trials across the country. A nationally renowned criminal defense attorney, Tewolde was the founder and managing attorney of her own criminal defense firm.

Tewolde, who was an Associate Municipal Judge for the City of Dallas in September 2018, has been a member of the Texas Bar since 2010. Since then, she has dedicated her entire legal career to the practice of criminal law. After graduating law school, she served as a law clerk in the 19^th Judicial District Court. Soon thereafter, Tewolde began working as an Assistant District Attorney with the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office, where she learned the intricacies of criminal prosecution while honing her skills as a trial lawyer. Following several years of prosecuting cases in both the adult and juvenile systems, Tewolde transitioned over to criminal defense work. It wasn’t long before she was recognized as one of the nation’s top lawyers under 40 by the National Bar Association.

With an established career as a trial attorney and staunch advocate for criminal justice reform, Tewolde’s legal expertise has been featured on many of the top-rated cable networks. She frequently appears on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, and HLN to provide legal analysis on high-profile cases and hot-button issues. Tewolde was also an Opinion Contributor for “The Hill.”

Tewolde earned her juris doctorate from Southern University Law Center. While in law school, she served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Race, Gender and Poverty. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in Communications from Texas A&M University. While in undergrad, Tewolde pledged and became a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.

HOT BENCH is an Emmy-nominated syndicated court show, created by Judge Judy Sheindlin and executive produced by David Theodosopoulos. Belinda Jackson and James Glover are co-executive producers. Yodit Tewolde, Rachel Juarez and Michael Corriero comprise the three-judge panel. HOT BENCH is produced by Big Ticket Pictures and Queen Bee Productions. It is distributed by CBS Media Ventures.

Press Contact:

Lindsay Colker

Elevate Communications

lindsay@elevateprco.com