Edward Martell and Judge Morrow/Photo courtesy of The Philadelphia Inquirer
Sixteen years ago, Edward Martell was out on bail when he was arrested in a drug sting in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. After pleading guilty to manufacturing and selling crack, Martell could have been sentenced to 20 years in prison. Thanks to Judge Bruce Morrow’s willingness to give Martell a second chance, his most recent appearance was to be sworn in as a new lawyer and member of the Michigan Bar.
Judge Morrow was also the judge that decided that Martell should get another chance to live life on the straight and narrow back in 2005 and saved him from decades behind bars.
“Any other judge would have flushed me,” Martell told The Washington Post.
But Judge Morrow saw more promise in Martell than the then-young criminal saw in himself and decided to offer him the deal of a lifetime. That risk paid off.
“I can imagine Ed — being a Brown man, coming from an economically depressed environment, having been chased by police and put in handcuffs — never thinking this is where the love could come from,” Morrow said of Martell. Martell is Latino.
Judge Morrow has a history of seeing defendants as more than just people who have broken the law but as human beings. Martell, who worked at Perkins Law Group in Detroit as a legal researcher, received three years of probation for his 2005 arrest in exchange for returning with a positive achievement.
Over the next 15 years, Martell and Judge Morrow kept in touch and spoke every few months. Martell attributes his ability to stay the course to the jurist’s belief in his potential. In 2008, Martell enrolled in a community college. His journey from felon to lawyer would not be easy.
“At that time I was just a felon with a dream,” Martell said. “They advised me to [study] heating and cooling.” He was discouraged from pursuing law because of his criminal background. Most state bar associations conduct character and fitness background checks. He did not know if the bar association would honor the second chance that Morrow gave him.
Eventually, Martell earned scholarships to the University of Detroit Mercy for undergraduate and law school. He clerked with the Federal Public Defender for the District of Columbia. When he went in front of the bar for approval, he submitted a 1200-page application and was completely honest about his background and the fact that he was remorseful.
Martell was cleared and after thirteen years, his dream of being a lawyer came true. Judge Morrow swore Martell in on May 14. Martell already has a job lined up at Perkins Law Group.
Judge Bruce Morrow’s personal philosophy of helping people who are floundering is an important message. “There’s no such thing in my mind as a self-made person.” Edward Martell knows that better than most.