Judge Ginger Lerner-Wren was elected Broward County Court Judge, 17th Judicial Circuit, Florida (1997); where she pioneered America’s first specialized Mental Health Court. The court is dedicated to the safe diversion of persons arrested with mental illness and neuro-cognitive disorders through the application of therapeutic jurisprudence and a trauma-informed approach.
The Court is a national and global model; and has diverted over 23,000 people out of Broward County’s jail with linkage to individualized community-based care and psychosocial services.
Special recognitions include:
• National Model for Congressional Legislation piloting 100 Mental Health Courts in the U.S, 2000.

• Appointed by President George W. Bush to serve on The President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. (2002).

• Top Finalist: 2013 “Innovating Justice Awards” by The Hague International Institute for Innovation of Law Foundation (HIIL Foundation), The Hague, The Netherlands,

• Excellence in Advocacy Award for Elected Service, National Center for Behavioral Health, 2015.
Judge Wren is an Adjunct Professor at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) College of Psychology and Neuroscience and NSU Criminal Justice Institute.
She is an author, A Court of Refuge: Stories from the Bench of America's First Mental Health Court; Beacon Press, 2018. Judge Wren is a global speaker on mental health & criminal justice, problem-solving Justice, therapeutic jurisprudence, trauma informed courts, and leading cultural change.