Judged

She’s the first Black federal judge in Northern Ohio. Her daughter has just been taken by the county. And the lawyer she hires may be her only way out.

Judge Sheila Harrison Grant has spent nineteen years building a career that finally put her on the federal bench. But as a recess appointee awaiting Senate confirmation, her future is anything but secure.

Then her teenage daughter makes an accusation that brings child protective services to Sheila’s door.

Enter Casey Cort.

Casey is a young Cleveland lawyer struggling to keep her practice alive, with enough experience in juvenile court to know how quickly a family can disappear into the system. When Judge Grant hires her to get her daughter back, Casey thinks she’s landed the case that could change her career.

Instead, she finds herself fighting a system that doesn’t care about Sheila’s title, connections, or carefully constructed life—and a client determined to control the case even when Casey knows better.

The law has rules. Justice is something else entirely.

Judged is Book 1 in the Casey Cort legal thriller series.