Maria Lopez

On April 14, 2020, 42-year-old Level 3 sex offender, Charles "Ebony" Horton was again arrested, for kidnapping and assault charges after the suspect allegedly threatened young boys at gunpoint. A 12-year old victim stated the suspect had friended him on Facebook and began messaging him. The victim stated that the suspect knew where he lived and would send someone to hurt him.

After one year on the air, the Judge Maria Lopez ranked last among nine syndicated judge shows, only gathering a Nielsen household rating of 1.0. Among all 160 syndicated shows ranked, the Judge Maria Lopez show placed 118th in viewership. Despite its low ratings, Sony Pictures renewed the series for a second season. However, in February 2008 reports indicated that after two seasons of low ratings the show would be canceled.

In October 2006, the state Board of Bar Overseers issued a recommendation to disbar lawyers Gary C. Crossen and Kevin P. Curry, and issue a three-year suspension to lawyer Richard K. Donahue based on their conduct in the Walsh incident. In December 2006, Donahue accepted the three-year suspension from practicing law. In January 2008, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court unanimously agreed with the recommendation of the board and ordered Crossen and Curry disbarred. Both lawyers will have to wait eight years before they can apply for readmission to the bar.

On September 11, 2006, Judge Maria Lopez debuted, a half-hour show where real life disputants come to settle a case. An episode may include two smaller cases or one big case, such as "The Dirty Videographer Was A Lemon".

Retired Judge E. George Daher who headed the commission's investigation, suggested Judge Lopez should not be punished for her in-court behavior, but for her "feeble attempt at coverup". This was the same Judge Daher who had presided over the eviction hearings for Horton when he served as Boston Housing Court Chief in 2000. Rather than apologizing and accepting a suspension, Judge Lopez resigned on May 19, 2003.

Judge Lopez made legal history as the first Latina appointed to the bench in Massachusetts when she was selected as a District Court Judge by Governor Michael Dukakis. Judge Lopez continued to make her mark in history as the first Latina to be appointed to the Massachusetts Superior Court in 1993. Lopez served as a Superior Court judge and as an assistant attorney general in civil rights division of the office of the Massachusetts Attorney General.

In the 1990s, then Judge Lopez presided over the civil trial for control of shares in the DeMoulas supermarket chain. The trial and subsequent appeals process made this one of the largest and longest civil lawsuits in Massachusetts history. In addition to its length and cost, the trial was notable for attempts by lawyers of Telemachus "Mike" Demoulas to have Judge Lopez removed from the case due to allegations of bias after the jury found that he had defrauded his late brother George's family of shares in the family owned business. After numerous appeals however, Judge Lopez's rulings were upheld.

She is married to Stephen Mindich, owner of the Boston Phoenix newspaper; they live in Newton, Massachusetts. She has two sons, Michael Michaud (born in 1983) and David Michaud (born in 1985), who both attended the University of Michigan; they are her sons from her first marriage to Richard Michaud.

Maria Lopez (born 1953) is a Cuban-American former judge and a former television jurist on the syndicated court show, Judge Maria Lopez.