Judge Michael A. Martone received his BA from Wayne State University and his JD from Michigan State University, Detroit College of Law. He was elected to the 52-4 District Court in 1992 and reelected in 1998. Judge Martone, an advisor to Troy Families for Safe Homes, is a member of the Troy Community Coalition for the Prevention of Drug and Alcohol abuse and serves as a Trustee of the Troy Foundation for Educational Excellence.
Judge Martone's professional career and much of his personal time is dedicated to helping America's youth avoid problems and deal successfully with the challenges that they face in today's society. His frequent use of 'creative sentences' and his establishment of the Courageous Decisions Program, a nationally acclaimed alcohol intervention program, has raised awareness of the dangers of drinking and driving and underage binge drinking all across America. Since it's inception in 1993, more than 100,000 students in 29 states and the District of Columbia have participated in this highly successful program.
On April 20, 1999, in a first of its kind broadcast, Judge Martone presented this program, via satellite to every school in North America. Judge Martone is a faculty member at the Michigan Judicial Institute and served as both lead faculty and as a special presenter at the National Judicial College at the University of Nevada where his program has been established as part of the college's curriculum. It is also part of SADD's national "2000 by 2000" initiative and both the 1997 and 2000 MADD National Youth Summits.
Judge Martone and the Courageous Decisions Program have been featured on NBC's Today Show, ABC's Good Morning America, CBS's Early Show, MSNBC's Today's People, CNN's Newsstand and on National Public Radio's the Todd Mundt Show. Judge Martone has been profiled in Fast Company Magazine, Woodward Magazine, and in newspapers all across the country.
Judge Martone has been recognized for his effort on behalf of America's youth on the Congressional Record by former U.S. Senator and now Energy Secretary, Spencer Abraham and U.S. Members of Congress Joseph Knollenberg and Sander Levin. Judge Martone has received the 1997 State of Michigan Traffic Safety Award, the 1997 Detroit Coalition's Commitment to Service Award, the 1999 Foundation for the Improvement of Justice Award, the 1999 National Crime Prevention Council's Ameritech Award for Excellence in Crime Prevention, the 1999 National Commission Against Drunk Driving Award and the United States Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention 2000 Justice for Children Award.
Judge Martone has been a soccer and basketball coach, a youth mentor at his church parish and is active with the Boy Scouts of America. Judge Martone has been married for 23 years and has two children.
