NATIONWIDE (BlackNews.com) — Judge James V. Pierce is an acting Circuit Court Judge in the Unified Family Court Division for the Sixth Judicial Circuit of Pasco and Pinellas County, Florida where he presides over cases involving juveniles, child abuse, adoptions, divorces, child custody and guardianships. His new book, From Fields to Courts, was written to inspire and inform its readers that regardless of the challenging circumstances and adversity in your life, whatever you can conceive and believe, you can achieve.
The book is about how a poor Black country boy in the segregated south was inspired by his grandparents and many others to become the first member of his family to graduate from college, finish law school, become an attorney and appointed as a judge in the Sixth Judicial Circuit of Pinellas and Pasco County. From Fields to Courts is a remarkable and galvanizing true story about a person overcoming adversity, learning the value of education, and refusing to accept failure over success.
Pierce is also a proud alumnus of the class of 1980 at Bethune-Cookman University, whose commitment to service was spurred by his involvement in activities while a student that led to his becoming an attorney and later being appointed as a judge.
Among his accomplishments, Pierce was appointed to serve as a Pinellas County Judge in 2006 by former Florida Governor Jeb Bush. He organized Florida’s first Homeless Court sessions in an effort to prevent minor criminal cases from standing in the way of defendants’ efforts to emerge from homelessness in 2010.
Targeting male juvenile delinquents, he established the Sixth Judicial Circuit’s first Build Optimal Youth Success (B.O.Y.S.) Court in 2016 focused on character development, mentoring, community service, tutoring and academic enrichment. Pierce has also been recognized on numerous occasions, including the FreshStart Innovative Mentorship Beacon of Light Award, John U. Bird Award from Clearwater Bar Association and many others.
Pierce will return to Bethune-Cookman University at “I Love B-CU Day” on Friday, September 7, 2018, to share with students and promote his memoir, From Fields to Courts. Pierce will donate 25 percent of earnings from the book to the student body for scholarships.
I Love B-CU Day is a university-wide event that will be filled with school spirit, music, fun and an appreciation for our beloved University.
