Judge Judy The TV Show

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Judge Judy

When we have the time to watch daytime TV, in the States, what do we watch? Judge Judy, of course! Her show is where "justice is dispensed at the speed of light."

This site will be all about Judge Judy, and will feature her, the history of the TV show, and of course her famous side kick, bailiff officer, Petri Hawkins-Byrd.

Judge Judy Blog Search

Judge Judy dishes advice on new website
AP LOS ANGELES ? Judge Judy is doing more than holding court on TV. She's now dishing out advice online. Judy Sheindlin said the goal of her new website is to share her ideas about life, create a forum to discuss a variety of issues and to ?have a ...
Judge Judy dishes out advice on her new website
FILE - In this April 17, 2012 file photo, Judge Judy Sheindlin attends the Vanity Fair Tribeca Film Festival party at the State Supreme Courthouse in New York. TV's "Judge Judy" has launched a website, www.whatwouldjudysay.com, to foster discussion ...
Kathy Griffin on Cher, Judge Judy, the LGBT Crow...
Griffin knows exactly what she's doing, though, even if she and her crew are surprised every now and then by unannounced visits by other TV personalities -- the most recent of which was the bailiff, Bird, of Judge Judy fame. "My mother," Maggie, who is ...
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More >> Judge Judy is doing more than holding court on TV. She's now dishing out advice online.More >> In a personnel move that attempts to right the wrongs that led to the blockbuster bomb "John Carter," The Walt Disney Co. named the president of ...

Judith Sheindlin Biography

(AKA) Judge Judy:

Born Judith Blum, in October 1942, in Brooklyn, New York. She attended American University in Washington D.C., and graduated in 1963. She continued her education at American University's Washington College of Law, where she was the only woman in a class of 126 students. She finished her law degree in New York, where she moved with her first husband in 1964.

In 1965, she obtained her law degree, passed the New York bar exam, and took a job as a corporate lawyer for a cosmetics firm. Dissatisfied with the role of a corporate lawyer, she left within two years to raise two children, Jamie and Adam. In 1972, a friend from law school told her of a job opening in the New York courts. She took the job and found herself in the role of prosecutor for the family court system. She prosecuted juvenile crime, domestic violence, and child abuse cases. She was quickly recognized as a sharp, no-nonsense attorney.

Her professional success, though, was being achieved at a high private price. In 1976, she left her first husband after 12 years of marriage. She struggled to be present for her children, even while handling her heavy workload of emotionally draining cases in the family courts.

Three months after her divorce, Judy met attorney Jerry Sheindlin; within a year, they were married, in 1978. By 1982, Sheindlin's growing reputation for assertiveness in court inspired Mayor Ed Koch to appoint her to a seat as a judge in criminal court just six months later. As a judge, she continued to blend sympathy for the underdog with withering contempt for the arrogant or devious. Four years later, she was promoted to the position of supervising judge in the Manhattan division of the family court.

In 1990, Judy's father Murray Blum died, at age 70; his death took a remarkable toll on her marriage to Jerry. They divorced-with shocking suddenness. A year later, feeling the tug of family ties -- aside from her two children and his three, they now had two grandchildren -- along with the tug of terrible loneliness, Judy and Jerry got remarried. After remarrying, Judge Sheindlin settled firmly into a renewed mission to dispense justice firmly and fairly.

In February 1993, Sheindlein was profiled in the Los Angeles Times as a kind of hard-hitting legal super-heroine, determined to make the courts work for the common good. The Times piece was quickly followed by a profile on the CBS news program 60 Minutes. After her appearance on 60 Minutes, an agent for Judy approached Larry Lyttle, the president of Big Ticket Television, with the idea of doing a courtroom television program. Lyttle agreed and a pilot for the show was shot.

Sensing her growing connection with the American public, Sheindlin wrote the straight-talking Don't Pee On My Leg, and Tell Me It's Raining in 1996. Also in 1996, after 25 years of practicing in family court and hearing over 20,000 cases, Sheindlin retired. But with her fame spreading through newspapers and TV, a whole new incarnation of the straight-talking judge was about to appear.

Judge Judy

Judge Judy is known for being strict, and because of her straightforwardness of expression and impatience in making litigants get to the point, to keep them from wasting time on irrelevant and unimportant details, Judith Sheindlin is well-known as a no-nonsense jurist. Combining those qualities with her swift handling of many of the matters brought up throughout the course of each proceeding, Judge Judy is touted as, "A show where justice is dispensed at the speed of light."

Disbelieving many of the questionable affirmations of the parties that appear before her, lying is the main problem that the incredulous Judith Sheindlin has with both litigants and their witnesses. In fact, one of her most popular catchphrases is "Baloney!", and she is also convinced that "If something doesn't make sense, it's usually not true."

Of all her characteristics, Judge Judy is noted most for her very tough attitude. If a plaintiff files an unreasonable complaint, Judge Judy may tell him or her to "get over it." Judge Judy also tends to be highly irascible generally towards both parties that appear before her, mostly in her startling explosions at litigants who speak out of turn, try to argue with her, or ramble. Sheindlin often makes such remarks as "I'm speaking!", "Liar, liar, pants on fire", "Listen to me: You are an outrageous person.", "Sir, you want to say something to me? You sure you want to say something to me?", and "You mess around with me young lady, I'll wipe the floor with you. We follow each other?" or "I being in your position would never humiliate myself in front of 10 million people"

In fact, the show's tagline is Justice with an Attitude. She has explicitly stated that she sometimes sets out to cause embarrassment "in front of ten million people" to someone who has acted badly, as a way of punishing them. Though Sheindlin has a sense of humor as well, it's normally presented in combination with her gruff disposition. In fact, even for reactions to her own humor she will often say something along the lines of "Hey!" to an audience member who is being too noisy and has occasionally had particularly disruptive audience members removed.

Sheindlin has many catchphrases which are referred to as "Judyisms". Many of these Many of these Judyisms are intended to provide a lesson, such as "Beauty fades, dumb is forever." Judge Judy has stated that the main message she wants viewers to take from her show is that people must take responsibility for their actions.

Music

If you fight the law, the law will win, The Clash

History of the Judge Judy Show

The show's creation stemmed from Judith Sheindlin's reputation as one of the most outspoken family court judges in the country, becoming the topic of a Los Angeles Times article in February 1993. The piece caught the attention of 60 Minutes, leading to a segment about Sheindlin on the show, which brought her national recognition. This led to her being approached by television producers, who asked her to preside over her own courtroom reality show. The title of her show was originally going to be "Hot Bench" or "Her Honor".

Unhappy with that title, however, Sheindlin convinced her television producer, Big Ticket to change it. Although Judge Judy is the title of the show, it has also become a nickname for Judith Sheindlin. Judy Sheindlin became the first television judge whose name was included in the title of the show. The creator and original executive producer of the show, Peter Brennan (creator of the original A Current Affair with Maury Povich) subsequently created Judge Joe Brown and more recently Cristina's Court with Latina community leader and California's Woman of the Year, Cristina Pérez (three time winner of the first legal/courtroom Daytime Emmys - '07, '08 '09). Randy Douthit and Timothy Regler are currently the show's executive producers.

At the beginning of court proceeding, off-camera announcer Jerry Bishop introduces proceedings. Sheindlin then questions the parties about dates, times, locations, and other facts central to the lawsuit. Judge Sheindlin demands decorum in her court. She will sometimes chastise participants, even audience members, for showing up in inappropriate clothing, and silence audience outbursts, even if they are in response to quips she herself made. Order is maintained by her bailiff, officer Petri Hawkins-Byrd. After this process, Sheindlin renders the judgment, either by finding for the plaintiff (typically by saying "judgment for the plaintiff in the amount of ... dollars, that's all") or by dismissing the case (the award is not displayed on an on-screen graphic, which is rare among other shows in the genre). When a counterclaim has been filed, it will be handled during the same show segment. However, if a case is dismissed without prejudice due to a factor such as Sheindlin's being unable to rule due to other circumstances (such as something that cannot be ruled on within the binding arbitration structure of the series), the litigants are invited to come back and resume the case later in another episode if the outside issues are resolved.

In the first two commercial breaks, a preview of the upcoming case is shown. When the show returns from the first two commercial breaks, it airs the voice-over, "Real cases! Real people! Judge Judy!" (recorded by announcer Jerry Bishop), followed by a recap of the current case. After the third commercial break, the voice-over is heard again, providing the show's telephone number and the website to submit cases.

Generally each show presents two cases, but infrequently an episode will present a single long case, three shorter ones, or four even-shorter ones. At the end of a case, the plaintiff and the defendant express their feelings about the case, although sometimes this part of the program is omitted, especially after cases involving contentious or removed litigants.

Interesting Facts

In order to ensure a full audience, the producers of Judge Judy hire extras who compose the entire gallery. Though tickets are not offered for the show, arrangements can sometimes be made with Sheindlin's production staff to allow fans of the show into the audience. Once all the cases are through, all of the audience members receive payment.

The extras must not dress casually, and no logos or brand names may be visible on their clothing. Extras are also instructed to appear as if they are having discussions with each other before and after each case, so the bailiff may make such announcements as "Order! All rise" and "Parties are excused; you may step out."

As far as the court cases are concerned, however, what is seen on Judge Judy is neither staged nor scripted. The plaintiffs have actually sued the defendants, and those very cases are heard and decided upon by Judith Sheindlin. The court show acquires cases by people submitting claims into them via their website or phone number.

The producers' employees call both parties and asks them questions about their case to make sure it is suitable for Judge Judy. If the parties agree to be on the show and sign a waiver, agreeing that arbitration in Sheindlin's court is final and cannot be pursued elsewhere (unless she dismisses the lawsuit without prejudice), their case will air on Judge Judy.

The award limit on Judge Judy, as on most "syndi-court" shows (and most small claims courts in the U.S.), is $5,000. The award for each judgment is paid by the producers of the show, from a fund reserved for each case. About forty percent of the cases are money judgments, while the remaining sixty percent are either dismissed or involve an order for an exchange of property.

Both the plaintiff and the defendant receive $100 for their appearance as well as $35 a day, paid to them by the show. The litigants' stay lasts for the number of days that the show does taping for that week, which is two or three days. In addition, the airfare (or other means of travel) and hotel expenses of the litigants and their witnesses are covered by the show.

If there is an exchange of property, Sheindlin signs an order, and a sheriff or marshal oversees the exchange. There are no lawyers present, and participants defend themselves on Judge Judy, as is standard in a small claims court. Sheindlin sees only a half-page complaint and a defense response prior to the taping of the cases, sometimes only moments before. Most of the cases, without any footage deleted to meet the time constraints of the show, usually last anywhere from twelve to forty-five minutes.

Judge Judy Sheindlin Trivia and Quotes

Did you know?

1. Judge Judy resides in Palm Beach, Florida.

2. Judge Judy is an advocate for allowing one-party and no-fault divorces. She recently appeared at a New York City forum entitled, "The Need for No-Fault Divorce."

3. Judge Judy owns a 190 foot yacht named "Her Honor".

4. Judge Judy is ranked #13 on Forbes.com's 2007 list of 'The Richest 20 Women in Entertainment'.

5. Judge Judy donated a day on the set of her television show and lunch with herself after a taping to an auction for the children's charity 'Children at Heart'.

6. Judge Judy is the best-selling author of four books: Don't Pee on My Leg and Tell Me It's Raining; Win or Lose by How You Choose; Keep It Simple, Stupid; and Beauty Fades, Dumb is Forever.

7. Judge Judy graduated after only 3 1/2 years of high school, at age 17. She went on to graduate in 1963 from American University in Washington, D.C.

8. Judy received her law degree after graduating first in her class from New York Law School in 1965.

9. Judge Judy began her career in family court in 1972, prosecuting juvenille deliquency cases.

10. Judge Judy's husband Jerry is also a judge, appointed by Ed Koch to Manhattan's criminal court in 1983. He later became a trial judge for . New York's Supreme Court, and appeared on a television courtroom show, The People's Court, from 1998 through 2001, when Judge Marilyn Milian replaced him.

11. Judge Judy proposed to Jerry Sheindlin in 1977. They divorced in 1990, and remarried a year later. Judy was struck hard by her father's death, and needed time by herself. They remain married today, sharing four children as well as five grandchildren.

12. Judge Judy and her husband Jerry performed the marriage ceremonies of all four of their married children.

13. Judge Judy's production of her television show takes place in Los Angeles, California, but she splits her time between Naples, Florida, Greenwich, Connecticut, and New York City.

14. Judge Judy credits her father, Murray Blum for her success. His constant support and faith in her abilities pushed her to the maximum in all areas of her life.

15. Judge Judy enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, snorkeling, ice skating, and bargain shopping on the Internet.

16. Judge Judy never planned on a life of fame and fortune--as a civil servant, she was planning on a modest retirement in Florida.

17. Judge Judith Sheindlin has appeared on Saturday Night Live and has been mentioned and parodied on numerous shows (such as The Simpsons, Will & Grace, etc).

18. In 1999, Judge Judy was selected to judge the Miss America Pageant.

19. Judge Judith Sheindlin has surpassed Oprah Winfrey to become the highest-paid woman in television history.

20. Judge Judith Sheindlin is a devoted fan of the TV show - Law & Order.

Recording and airings of the show

Three days every other week (two weeks a month), Sheindlin and her producers tape the court show. They usually produce ten to twelve cases for each day they tape the show. A week's worth of episodes consists of approximately ten cases. Anywhere from thirty to thirty-six cases are filmed over the three days they tape per week. However, Sheindlin and her producers sometimes only tape five cases per day and two days per week.

The show has fifty-two taping days a year. For each season, some 650 claims are brought to the set to be presided over by Judge Judy. This means approximately 8,450 claims have been brought to Judith Sheindlin's Hollywood set as of the end of its thirteenth season (2008-09).

For the most part, cases are taped all throughout the year except for two breaks Sheindlin and all of the members of her show have for the year. One of the two breaks includes an extra week off in December, as the show is only taped one week out of that month because of the holidays. The other break is from mid-July (only taping one week in July) and all through August. According to members of the show, the reason for this break is because people are more interested in taking vacations than in filing lawsuits around that time.

Altogether, there are 260 new episodes per season of Judge Judy. There is at least one new episode for every weekday, with the exception of a few hiatuses during most of the summer and a couple of holidays.

The cases are all pre-recorded for editing purposes and will usually air one to three months after being taped. The cases are mixed up and not shown in order of when they were recorded. While the cases taped in March end the season, the cases taped throughout April, May, June, and July start out each season in September and last through the beginning of November.

Throughout the very beginning of each season, two new Judge Judy episodes air per day. After two weeks, this is reduced to one new airing a day, followed by a repeat. There are also various other moments throughout the year where two new episodes are shown for a few weeks. This usually includes January, when the show returns from its winter hiatus.

Two new episodes are also shown daily during the "sweeps" months of November, February, and May. Unlike most television shows, Judge Judy does not air its season finale in April or May. Rather, it will air its last few new episodes sporadically over the summer months, with many repeats in between, and its season finale will take place some time in June, July, or August.

Where is the show taped?

Judge Judy tapes at the Sunset Bronson Studios, on Sunset Boulevard, in Los Angeles, California. Every other week, Sheindlin flies out on her private jet to tape Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

The Judge Judy set is directly beside the Judge Joe Brown set, in the same studios. Both shows are produced by Big Ticket Entertainment. The two shows alternate taping weeks.
Despite its California location, the show displays various images of New York City upon returning from commercial breaks, including a subway train that is passing by the camera which reads World Trade Center, but is only noticeable if the footage is paused. It also features the phrases "State of New York" and "Family Court" (Sheindlin was previously a New York family court judge) within the letterboxes used going to and from breaks since the ninth season.

The set features a New York State Flag behind Sheindlin's seat. Furthermore, the title sequence features Judge Judy posing in white robes with light emanating from a raised hand, evoking the Statue of Liberty and therefore New York City (though it should be noted that Judge Judy is actually posing as Lady Justice, as evidenced by the blindfold over her eyes and the weighing scale suspended from her left hand). Immediately before each episode, the Judge Judy version of Lady Justice is shown lifting the blindfold of neutrality to greet the audience with a mischievous and alluring wink.

Did we forget someone?

What about Judge Judy's side kick? Everyone thinks his name is Bert, but that's not the case.

World's Richest Bailiff

AKA "Byrd"

The silent star of Judge Judy's courtroom.

Petri Hawkins-Byrd (born November 29, 1957) American television personality known for his role as the bailiff on the television show Judge Judy. His main role on the show is to introduce the cases, present evidence to the Judge, and on several occasions, to control altercations between the Plaintiff and the Defendant.

Hawkins-Byrd obtained his degree in criminal justice from John Jay College, and worked in the New York City Court System as a bailiff for all circuit judges. It was in this capacity that Byrd met Judge Judith Sheindlin, who was the Supervising Family Court Judge for Manhattan district.

When Sheindlin was offered her own TV series in 1996, Byrd wrote her a congratulatory letter, saying: "If you ever need a bailiff, I still look good in uniform." Judge Judy called him at home to accept, and he's been her bailiff ever since.

Judge Judith Sheindlin usually decides each small-claims case in 20 minutes or less. But for fear that a lippy defendant might try to cause problems, Sheindlin has standing by her side Petri Hawkins-Byrd, the self-professed "world's richest bailiff." At 6'4'' and 240 pounds, Byrd refuses to reveal his salary, however it is rumored to be $500,000 yearly. But consider that Sheindlin recently signed a four year, $100 million contract, and that Byrd has become nearly as iconic as his boss to the show's seven million viewers. Besides, the competition for "world's richest bailiff" isn't very stiff. The average hourly wage for a bailiff in the United States is $14.07.

Judge Judy tapes 50 days a year, on a Sunset Boulevard set that it shares with the knockoff Judge Joe Brown. (She's the Jewish Mother of TV judges, he's the Baptist Preacher.) Byrd's duties aren't onerous. He spends a fair amount of time doing crosswords that he affixes to an official-looking clipboard when the cameras are rolling. He also keeps on that clipboard a scratch pad where he jots down ideas for a screenplay he's developing (he wouldn't share the details) and verses for his hobby as a spoken-word poet. On occasion, when a plaintiff starts tallying up the damages she is seeking, Byrd will make a note of the numbers Sheindlin, he confided, despite her recent jackpot, "doesn't work with figures real well."

Byrd toiled as a bailiff in Brooklyn during the late 1980s, guarding family court judges including Sheindlin. He was expected to remain stonefaced throughout the proceedings, lest an attorney complain that Byrd was revealing bias. But he couldn't resist doing the occasional impression, and his spot-on send-up of Sheindlin may be why his name stuck in her mind. In 1996, when Byrd was working as a high school guidance counselor in San Mateo, Calif., he read in Liz Smith's syndicated gossip column that his former boss had Judge Judy in the works. He sent a congratulatory note that included an offer to the effect of, "If you ever need a bailiff, my uniform still fits."

As the profession's de facto spokesman since she tapped him soon after, Byrd insists there's a lot more to the vocation than meets the eye. "It's a finesse job," he said. "It's a job where you use your brain more than you use your brawn."

By Byrd's account, a typical bailiff divides his time between being a "runner" and being a "bridge." As a runner, the bailiff moves lawyers and litigants into and out of the courtroom, shuttles paperwork between the clerk's office and the bench, and escorts prisoners from the lockup into the courtroom and back. As a bridge, he acts as the judge's bodyguard in the courtroom and carries paperwork between the attorneys and the judge. The highlight of the job comes when the bailiff receives the jury's verdict and hands it to the judge. "We talk to everybody we talk to the lawyers, the judges, the litigants, the clerks, the guardians ad litem, the court reporters," said Byrd. "We're sort of the hub. . . . I've been in situations where lawyers will check with me about the judge's disposition"mood"and that will determine whether they'll ask for a continuance or whether they're willing to go to trial that day."

Byrd's duties aren't that grand on Judge Judy. Emotions get heated on the set which resembles a typical state courtroom as decorated by IKEA and the TV bailiff makes sure they don't get out of hand. These are, as the commercial-break voice-over intones, "real cases, real people," and the parties are contractually bound to abide by the judge's decision. Sheindlin is notorious for belittling litigants, especially those whose intelligence she finds underwhelming. Some take the verbal drubbings in stride; others try to match Sheindlin shriek for shriek. In one case in which a Detroit limo company was accused of ruining a bachelorette party by providing a faulty vehicle, a co-defendant insisted that the plaintiffs were at fault for packing in too many obese passengers.

"Liar!" yelled Sheindlin, using a word she employs frequently.

Byrd favors his own version of gunboat diplomacy. In a dispute involving a child who allegedly threw rocks at a windshield, cracking it, Byrd calmed down the agitated plaintiff by getting in her face and asking sternly, "Does it seem like you're losing?" When the woman gave a quick negative shake of her head, he added, "Good. Be quiet." End of problem.

After the show, before he retreats to his tiny dressing room, Byrd escorts the litigants to a red-carpeted area just beyond the set, where they offer the camera their reactions to the verdict. Byrd stands behind the parties, as they continue to try their case, often flinging insults back and forth.

Byrd is also a self proclaimed trivia buff, and in fall 2008, even appeared as a contestant on the game show Trivial Pursuit: America Plays. He fared well, making it to the second round; however, he was eventually beaten by a young man from the Chicago area.

Dubbed by fans "the coolest sidekick since Kato on 'The Green Hornet,'" Elk Grove resident Petri Hawkins Byrd, aka Bailiff Byrd, makes a living playing straight man to witty, acerbic Brooklynite Judge Judith Sheindlin on the hit syndicated TV courtroom series "Judge Judy."

And what entertainment can be skimmed from this endless parade of human foibles and frustrations (all real people, all real cases) airing weeknights .

A house sitter claims her friend's dog chewed up her dentures. A student accuses an older couple of beating him up at a Cher concert. A woman refuses to repay her ex-fiancé for the breast augmentation surgery he bankrolled.

It's enough to make viewers at home want to hurl a shoe at the TV set (or just plain hurl), but save for a raised eyebrow or conspiratorial glance at the judge, Bailiff Byrd gets to comment on few of the "Jerry Springer"-like, mostly shallow-end-of-the-gene-pool proceedings. That privilege is reserved for Judge Judy:
"I'm the boss, applesauce!"

"Do I have 'stupid' written on my forehead?"

"I don't give a rat's a-- what you disagree with, sir!"

But relative silence is just fine with the 6-foot-4, 240-pound Byrd, who's content to loom menacingly when the situation calls for it (in seven seasons, he's never had to physically toss anyone out of the courtroom) and catch the occasional bone Judge Judy throws him-an opportunity to respond to what's going on in the courtroom, to show off his own talents. For underneath that watchful, somber countenance and swelling khaki uniform beats the heart of a born actor and comedian, an improvisational whiz who has proven he can rise to the occasion when Sheindlin unexpectedly gives him the floor. This is, after all, showbiz in justice's robes.

Every other week, Byrd-like Sheindlin, a native of Brooklyn-hops in his Nissan Maxima and drives to L.A., where anywhere from 30 to 36 cases are filmed over three days. Away from the camera, in the cafe at Borders in Elk Grove, he has plenty to say about Judge Judy and the people who appear before her.

"When people ask me what she's really like, I always say, 'What you see is what you get.' She's not faking it. I agree with most of her decisions-the Brooklyn in us gives us a low B.S. tolerance-but sometimes I think we're listening to two different cases. She might tell someone, 'You're lying!' because in her world that doesn't happen, but in Petri Hawkins Byrd's world-been there, done that, bought the T-shirt.

"Judy and I have decided I'm probably the more compassionate one. She might look at some kid and say, 'He'll never be an asset to society; lock him up and throw away the key,' whereas I spend much of my time counseling at-risk youth, and I wouldn't believe all of them are a waste; there's some good in everyone. So for me, I'm always looking at people with a hey-that-could-be-me type of attitude as opposed to, 'What a jerk!' When people ask me about people on the show, they'll say, 'Are they jerks or what?' And I say, 'That's a broad stroke. They're people.'"

People, yes, but like porcupines and puffer fish, many of these people pile on so much armor you can't see the soft, sensitive parts underneath.

"A lot of the people who come on the show are people who are in pain and don't know how to deal with it," says Byrd, 46. "They want a sense of control and they manifest that desire by suing somebody. What some of them really need is therapy."

The majority of cases just leave Byrd shaking his head in wonder. "I have never," he says slowly, for emphasis, "seen so many women give so much money to men they have known for such a short time." A smile curls across his face as he adds, "I don't understand it. During my single years, I never met any of these women. Everybody I knew was broke!"

Is Judge Judy always right?

One of Sheindlin's critics is Joseph Wapner, who was the first star of reality courtroom shows. He presided over The People's Court from 1981 to 1993.

On November 26, 2002, Joseph Wapner criticized Judge Judy's courtroom behavior, stating, "She is not portraying a judge as I view a judge should act. Judge Judy is discourteous, and she's abrasive. She's not slightly insulting. She's insulting in capital letters."

Judge Judy replied through her publicist, stating, "I refuse to engage in similar mud slinging. I don't know where or by whom Judge Wapner was raised. But my parents taught me when you don't have something nice to say about someone, say nothing.

Clearly, Judge Wapner was absent on the day that lesson was taught." Since then, Wapner has stated, "She is a disgrace to the profession. She does things I don't think a judge should do.

She tells people to shut up. She's rude. She's arrogant. She demeans people. If she does this on purpose, then that's even worse. Judges need to observe certain standards of conduct. She just doesn't do it and I resent that. The public is apt to gain the impression that this is how actual judges conduct themselves. It says 'judge' on the nameplate on the bench and she's wearing a robe."

While the cases on Judge Judy are actual small claims court cases, the show is not a court of law, but rather an arbitration, and all parties must sign contracts agreeing to arbitration under Sheindlin. Even this status has been disputed: in Do Wop Shoppe Ltd. v. Ralph Edwards, syndi-court justice was determined not to be an actual form of arbitration because a third party pays part of the cost of the judgment. This decision was subsequently overturned.

The American Bar Association notes that:
"B.M. v. D.L.", the Family Court of Kings County, New York, overturned part of a Judge Judy decision. The parties had appeared in front of Judge Judy over a dispute involving personal property. However, Judge Judy made a decision involving child custody and visitation. The court overturned the custody and visitation part of her decision on two grounds. First, it was a matter that was not covered by the agreement to arbitrate. Second, as a matter of public policy, an arbitrator could not decide child custody and visitation rights. Considering that Judy had been a judge in New York's family court, it is particularly ironic that she decided to overstep her arbitral authority on this particular issue.

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Did you like this lens?

  • concept247 May 8, 2012 @ 8:29 pm | delete
    This is such a great show and amazing lens thanks for this
  • TheApril Apr 26, 2012 @ 11:17 pm | delete
    Wow, I just read this whole thing. I would not have thought a lens on Judge Judy would be so interesting. Good Job!!!!
  • just_Dawn Mar 29, 2012 @ 9:45 pm | delete
    Great lens! Love the trivia! :)
  • DinaDLG Mar 27, 2012 @ 6:26 am | delete
    Love the lens, love the show, love the judge, love the bailiff! LOL
  • CarlThomp Mar 2, 2012 @ 1:10 pm | delete
    my wife and I watch judge Judy often
  • VeseliDan Feb 27, 2012 @ 2:09 am | delete
    I love Judge Judy show and i really like this lens! Nice work!
  • d-artist Feb 25, 2012 @ 8:15 pm | delete
    Very informative lens! I watched JJ for many years and have gotten to the point that I think she is cruel by being condescending and personal. To me there is no need to personally attack someone on how they look or speak, etc. she is excellent at her job of judging, and this style reminds me of my strict German upbringing. I member seeing her husband an a short lived Judges show as well.
  • GetFactsnotHype Feb 8, 2012 @ 9:38 pm | delete
    Judge Judy Rules ! People think she's rude, but I just think she's straight forward, to the point, and puts up with no B.S. Besides IF you are going to bring dumb cases before her and then proceed to bring dumb evidence that goes NO where then you deserve to have your -ss chewed out. Don't waste the courts time or hers. Judge Judy is not just a TV judge, she is a real judge and her rulings are binding. I like Judge Joe Brown too, but Judy is the best of ALL the court TV shows.
  • Nov 30, 2011 @ 11:17 am | delete
    I used to watch Judge Judy a lot, but I don't have a working TV anymore. Nice Lens!
  • Russia33 Jul 9, 2011 @ 9:28 pm | delete
    I get a kick out of Judge Judy's snark. I love that she doesn't take nonsense from anyone.
  • ColorPetGifts May 25, 2011 @ 11:11 pm | delete
    I did enjoy this lens - many thanks - Judge Judy's awesome -:)
  • Heard_Zazzle Mar 31, 2011 @ 4:11 pm | delete
    I love reality court TV, and Judge Judy is one of my faves. Bryd's great. I always assumed they taped in NY. You provided a lot of inside info that was interesting to read. Well done!
    Susan
  • A-Redneck Mar 24, 2011 @ 5:54 pm | delete
    I lose my husband to her every time her show airs. He is one of her biggest fans. Great article very well displayed.

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