I did not get here through my efforts alone. I want to thank all of you, so very much for getting me this far, my supporters, friends, and most importantly my family, especially my mother and sister, who put their very busy lives on hold to work, 24/7 to make this dream come true.

I also wish to thank my colleagues for their indispensable guidance thus far..

Life is quite a roller coaster ride. You never know where the journey will take you: Drug Counselor, New York State Court Administration Personal Analyst, Broward County prosecutor, Private Defense Attorney, Mediator, Arbitrator, Law Lecturer, Mentor, Volunteer, leadership positions in legal and community organizations, guardian ad litem, foster parent.

I have been lucky and truly blessed with many opportunities to learn and grow.

I  wanted to do this for a very long time and have worked very hard to be the best jurist that I can be and to try to make our already wonderful system of justice even better still. Broward County has been a leader in the State of Florida in the area of alternative courts, such as its Drug Courts, Domestic Violence Courts, and Mental Health Courts. Despite the enormous challenges presented by our current budgetary crisis, I hope to help bring a Juvenile Delinquency Mental Health Court to Broward County.

I believe a judge should be:

• Wise and Sensible
• Learned in the Law and in Life
• Honorable and Humble
• A lover of the Truth, Justice, and People
• And most of all, Courageous

God’s willing, I hope and pray to follow these principles throughout my life.

Your Broward County Circuit Court Judge

Merrilee Ehrlich