Deborah A. Servitto, born February 17, 1956, in

Sewickley, Pennsylvania Sewickley is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, west northwest of Pittsburgh along the Ohio River. It is a residential suburb of Pittsburgh. The population was 3,827 according to the United States Census 2010, 20 ...

, is a Judge on the

Michigan Court of Appeals The Michigan Court of Appeals is the intermediate-level appellate court of the state of Michigan. It was created by the Michigan Constitution of 1963, and commenced operations in 1965. Its opinions are reported both in an official publication of ...

, District II. She received national attention when, as a

Macomb County Macomb County ( ) is a county located in the eastern portion of the U.S. state of Michigan, bordering Lake St. Clair, and is part of northern Metro Detroit. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 881,217, making it the third-most populous co ...

Circuit Court judge, she delivered her ruling in the case of ''Bailey v.

Mathers Mathers is an English surname and may refer to: * Edward Peter Mathers (1850–1924), British journalist and newspaper proprietor * Edward Powys Mathers (1892–1939), British translator and poet * George Mathers, 1st Baron Mathers (1886–1965), S ...

'' partially in the form of a

rap Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

rhyme.

Judicial career

Servitto served as a judge on the 37th District Court from 1986 to 1990, then on Macomb Circuit Court from 1990 until 2006. In March 2006 Servitto was appointed to District II of the Michigan Court of Appeals which covers Oakland, Macomb and Genesee Counties. She was elected for a full six-year term in November 2006, then re-elected in 2012. She also served as a judge in the inaugural term of the Michigan Court of Claims. Servitto holds a B.A. in Political Science from

Oakland University Oakland University is a public research university in Auburn Hills and Rochester Hills, Michigan. Founded in 1957 through a donation of Matilda Dodge Wilson, it was initially known as Michigan State University-Oakland, operating under the Mi ...

and a J.D. from the

Detroit College of Law The Michigan State University College of Law (Michigan State Law or MSU Law) is the law school of Michigan State University, a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan. Established in 1891 as the Detroit College of Law, it was the fi ...

(now the

Michigan State University College of Law The Michigan State University College of Law (Michigan State Law or MSU Law) is the law school of Michigan State University, a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan. Established in 1891 as the Detroit College of Law, it was the fi ...

''Bailey v. Eminem''

As a circuit court judge, Servitto presided over a case in which DeAngelo Bailey sued Eminem over allegedly defamatory lines in the

song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...

"Brain Damage" from the 1999 album, ''

The Slim Shady LP ''The Slim Shady LP'' is the second studio album and major label debut by American rapper Eminem. It was released on February 23, 1999, by Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. Recorded in Ferndale, Michigan following Eminem's recruitm ...

'' that said "I was harassed daily by this fat kid named D'Angelo Bailey. An eighth-grader who acted obnoxious, cause his father

boxes A box (plural: boxes) is a container used for the storage or transportation of its contents. Most boxes have flat, parallel, rectangular sides. Boxes can be very small (like a matchbox) or very large (like a shipping box for furniture), and can ...

. So every day he'd shove me in the

locker A locker is a small, usually narrow storage compartment. They are commonly found in dedicated cabinets, very often in large numbers, in various public places such as locker rooms, workplaces, elementary schools, middle and high schools, trans ...

s." Servitto's October 17, 2003 opinion dismissing the case became well known because part of the decision is written in rap-like verse. Servitto's rhyme included the lines: "Mr. Bailey complains that his rap is trash / So he's seeking compensation in the form of cash / Bailey thinks he's entitled to some monetary gain / Because Eminem used his name in vain" and "the lyrics are stories no-one would take as fact / They're an exaggeration of a childish act / It is therefore this court's ultimate position / That Eminem is entitled to summary disposition."

References

External links

Opinion in ''Bailey v. Eminem''
1956 births Living people Oakland University alumni Detroit College of Law alumni Michigan state court judges People from Macomb County, Michigan People from Sewickley, Pennsylvania 20th-century American judges 21st-century American judges 20th-century American women judges 21st-century American women judges {{US-state-judge-stub