Ephriam returned to television in fall 2014 with a new courtroom series titled Justice with Judge Mablean.

The series, produced by Entertainment Studios, airs on the Justice Central cable channel and is syndicated on various stations.

Ephriam graduated from Pitzer College where she was awarded a four-year academic scholarship, and later attended night classes at Whittier Law School, where she earned her Juris Doctor degree in 1978.

[5] In 1999, the television courtroom series Divorce Court was revived a third time for a 17th season, and Ephriam was named the show's arbitrator.

Her audience was frequently brought to laughter by Ephriam's striking and quirky voice and reactions of appall and bewilderment by the ex-couple's outrageous and absurd behaviors.

Ephriam's trademark phrase on Divorce Court was "Look deep before you leap," advising couples to examine each other's behaviors and attitudes carefully before they decide to marry.

In March 2006, it was announced that Ephriam would leave Divorce Court at the end of the 2005–06 season (her seventh behind the bench), reportedly because she and the show's producers were unable to come to an agreement on a contract extension.

The judge never sentences Madea to prison, instead issuing less severe punishments such as house arrest, becoming foster mother to a wayward teen (played by Keke Palmer) and going to therapy sessions with Doctor Phil.

Ephriam made a short appearance in the film adaptation of the play Diary of a Mad Black Woman.