Harvey Brownstone: The Retired Judge Breaking the Culture of Silence episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 7, 2026 · 1H 4M

Harvey Brownstone: The Retired Judge Breaking the Culture of Silence

from Who Judges The Judge? Hosted By Jordana H. Goldlist · host Jordana H. Goldlist

AT 19, HARVEY BROWNSTONE told his parents he was gay. They cut him off completely, financially and emotionally. He went from a comfortable home to stealing food from wedding receptions to survive. Nineteen years later, he became one of the youngest judges in Canadian history, and Canada's first openly gay judge.Harvey Brownstone practiced law for 12 years before being appointed to the bench at 38. He served as a judge for 26 years across Toronto and Niagara, including a stretch as senior administrative justice, before leaving to build a media career that now reaches 10 million viewers a week through Harvey Brownstone Interviews. He is the author of Without Prejudice, and his life story is now being adapted into a film starring David Arquette and David Mazuz.He explains: ◼ How being cut off by his parents at 19 led to poverty, and what kept him from spiraling into addiction or hopelessness ◼ Why he fought the Ontario Lottery Corporation after a man who owed $35,000 in child support won a $14 million jackpot and sent it overseas to avoid paying ◼ Why he believes family court and the correctional system are fundamentally broken, and why almost no other judges will say so publicly ◼ What happened when he tried to modernize his own courtroom, and why his Chief Justice personally ordered him to stop ◼ Why he thinks judges are systematically discouraged from speaking out, even after retirement ◼ His take on the Jordan decision, court scheduling failures, and why drug treatment courts are underused in Canada📍 WITHOUT PREJUDICE: Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Without-Prejudice-Life-Gay-Judge/dp/1770418784 Indigo: https://www.indigo.ca/products/without-prejudice-my-life-as-a-gay-judge📍 FOLLOW JORDANA: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jordanagoldlist/ Website: https://www.jhgcriminallaw.com/

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AT 19, HARVEY BROWNSTONE told his parents he was gay. They cut him off completely, financially and emotionally. He went from a comfortable home to stealing food from wedding receptions to survive. Nineteen years later, he became one of the youngest judges in Canadian history, and Canada's first openly gay judge. Harvey Brownstone practiced law for 12 years before being appointed to the bench at 38. He served as a judge for 26 years across Toronto and Niagara, including a stretch as senior adm...

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Harvey Brownstone: The Retired Judge Breaking the Culture of Silence

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This episode was published on August 7, 2026.

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