By Ellen S. Wilkowe
In a career spanning more than three decades as an attorney and judge, Michael Paul Wright has had to deliver his share of talking-to’s.
But when invited to serve as Sunday’s guest preacher at Bethel A.M.E. Church in Morristown, he found himself at a loss for words.
“This is a different kind of undertaking,” Wright told 30 or so congregants in the pews. To prepare, he did what comes naturally: “I grabbed a legal pad and started doing some research.”
The result, a sermon titled “Trust in Darkness,” afforded a glimpse into the backstory of a Superior Court judge, and the faith that helped him overcome academic disappointment, the pressures of being a Black jurist, and crippling back pain.
“Darkness is a metaphor for when things aren’t looking so good,” he said. “It may take days, months, it may take years. But don’t be discouraged, your breakthrough is coming.”
It’s all a matter of trust, asserted Wright, presiding judge of the Family Division of Superior Court for Morris and Sussex Counties. He was appointed to the bench in 2007 and re-appointed by Gov. Chris Christie in June 2014.
“Trust is freedom. If you place your reliance on something bigger than yourself, such as God, then you have freedom from worry, freedom from stress and freedom from regret,” Wright said.
A Bethel member for 20 years, Wright was approached by his pastor, the Rev. Sidney Williams Jr., to deliver the 10:30 a.m. sermon. It’s not uncommon to invite lay people to share their messages of faith, hope and love, Williams explained.
“You don’t need to be ordained to proclaim the Good News,” the minister said.
Past guest preachers have included former Morris School District Board President Leonard Posey, Morris Habitat for Humanity CEO Blair Schleicher Wilson, and St. Elizabeth University President Gary Crosby.
Although it was Wright’s first sermon, he has addressed Bethel before. In 2019, he eulogized Art In the Atrium Inc. co-founder Viki Craig. He also spoke at a Black History Month event.
Williams introduced Wright as the first African American judge in Morris County who “leaps whenever the spirit moves…his heart is for families and children, and he is a humble spirit.”
As for Wright’s jitters, Williams added: “It’s not about perfection but about grace.”
Wright praised Williams for trading Wall Street for Spring Street, to serve the community.
“He has the intellect and courage to shine a light on disenfranchised injustice without a fear of repercussions.”
‘DIVINE INTERVENTIONS’
Born into a family he described as overachievers, Wright paid homage to his parents and their own dark times, “fighting their way to middle-class America” from the racial oppression of Birmingham, Ala.
Wright said he was the first kid in Mendham to score 1,000 points in basketball. His grades were good, too, good enough for acceptance to Brown University. But financial constraints forced him to turn down the offer. “This would be my first dark period,” he said.
Disappointed, he refused to fully apply himself at the University of Delaware. He saw few options for the future. Meeting Jesus “face to face, I asked God to forgive my petulant attitude, my laziness, and I asked him for a way forward.”
Things turned around. His grades soared. He applied to the Rutgers University School of Law, and was accepted.
After law school, Wright landed a clerkship, with help from a deacon at his father’s church. That same connection eventually came through again.
“This deacon asked her husband to give me a job,” he said. “And I became the first Black prosecutor in the history of Morris County.”
Four years later, Wright took a leap of faith and launched his own law firm.
“The Lord introduced me to Brother Charles Craig, who taught me how to run a law practice,” he said, referring to the attorney who co-founded Art in the Atrium, which showcases African American artists.
After 11 years on his own, a conversation with an old friend propelled Wright to the position of Morris County chief assistant prosecutor. Fast-forward 18 years. A committee wanted more diversity on the Superior Court.
“They were seeking out people of color to recommend to become a judge,” Wright recounted.
Coming full circle, the same deacon who assisted Wright with his first job helped him ascend to a judgeship.
“My life has been a series of divine interventions,” Wright said. “But darkness wasn’t quite through with me yet.”
Degenerative disc syndrome struck in 2007, producing nearly a decade of pain and agony that “almost broke me.” At the same time, he felt crushing professional pressure.
“I was the only Black judge, trying desperately not to fail,” Wright said. “I felt the entire weight of the race on my shoulders.”
Somehow, he circumvented addiction to powerful painkillers. He asked the Lord to heal him. The response took awhile. In the meantime, he was reappointed, and appellate courts affirmed 97 percent of his legal decisions, he said.
“And then God sent a healer,” Wright said, citing 2 Corinthians 12:9: “My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in my weakness…”
A surgeon operated on nine discs–six lumbar and three cervical. “I was in pain no more,” the judge said.
Trust can be dangerous if misplaced, Wright acknowledged.
“Yet you can’t go wrong in trusting in Jesus.”
