Judge Lynn Toler

Judge Lynn Toler received her bachelor’s degree in English and American Literature from Harvard University and her Doctorate in Law from The University of Pennsylvania Law School. At 33, she was elected judge of the Cleveland Heights Municipal Court and served there for more than eight years.

While on the bench in Cleveland Heights, Judge Toler volunteered actively in her community creating her own programs, such as Woman Talk, a project designed to intensively mentor young at-risk girls; and The CHIP Program–an intensive probationary program for young, male, chronic offenders. She also led an initiative to establish early response mental health teams for local municipal courts.

She has served as an adjunct professor at Ursuline College, where she created and taught courses on Civil Rights Law and Women and the Law. She was also a frequent instructor for the Ohio Judicial College, where she helped create and taught continuing judicial education course for other judges.

Judge Toler has also served on a number of philanthropic boards, including but not limited to: The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI), Board of Trustees Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, Cuyahoga County Criminal Justice Services Supervisory Board, Board of Trustees, Goodwill Starting Over Program, Cleveland Treatment Center, and The Cleveland Domestic Violence Center.

Judge Toler is still actively engaged in both local and national initiatives to prevent domestic violence through her work as a board member of Bloom365. She also supports The Whole Brother Mission, an organization designed to address the emotional and familial wellbeing of Black men.

Judge Toler began her television career in 2001 when she became the host of the nationally syndicated television show, "Power of Attorney." During that time, she also served as a retired judge sitting by assignment in multiple jurisdictions throughout the state of Ohio.

In 2006, Judge Toler became the host of "Divorce Court." In 2007, she expanded her television presence by becoming the host of the prime-time television show, "Decision House." In 2008 and 2009, Judge Toler was a bi-monthly contributor on News and Notes, a weekly news show on National Public Radio (NPR). In 2009, she became the host and a co-executive producer of "Wedlock or Deadlock," a syndicated series based on a segment of "Divorce Court." Judge Toler became a regular co-host alongside Dr. Ish Major on We TV’s highly rated "Marriage Bootcamp" series in 2020. She continued her work with We TV in the series "Commit or Quit" with Judge Lynn Toler in 2022.

Most recently Judge Toler became the creator, writer, and executive producer for ALLBLK, a streaming service for Black television and film from AMC Networks, series "Judge Me Not," loosely based on her life.

Judge Toler has appeared as a legal and relationship expert on a variety of shows including "Larry King Live," "Dr. Drew," CNN, "The Dr. Phil Show," "The Steve Harvey Show," "CBS Morning Show," "The Wendy Williams Show," "The Breakfast Club," and many others.

Judge Toler is the author of several books. Her first book, "My Mother’s Rules, A Practical Guide to Becoming an Emotional Genius" was published in 2007 and was described by Ebony Magazine as an “awe-inspiring memoir.” In 2009, Judge Toler published her second book, "Put It in Writing," co-authored with Deborah Hutchison. Her third book, "Making Marriage Work, New Rules for an Old Institution" was published in 2012. Her latest book, "Dear Sonali, Letters to the Daughter I Never Had," is dedicated to young women, their progress and personal journey, was published in 2019.

Judge Toler has been the recipient of numerous awards. She is, however, most proud of The 2002 Humanitarian of the Year Award given to her by The Cleveland Domestic Violence Center. In 2009, Judge Toler was given The Voice of Freedom Award by the Philadelphia Chapter of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. joining honorees former United States Secretary of State Colin Powell and Vice President Al Gore.

Judge Toler has been married to Eric Mumford since 1989. She has two sons and four stepsons.