Judge Judy

This article is about the television series. For the eponymous person, see Judith Sheindlin.

Judge Judy
Starring	Judith Sheindlin Petri Hawkins-Byrd
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	17
Production
Production locations	Sunset Bronson Studios Hollywood, California
Running time	22 minutes
Production company	Big Ticket Television
Original release
Network	First-run syndication
Release	September 16, 1996 (1996-09-16) – present

Judge Judy is an American arbitration-based reality court show presided over by retired Manhattan Family Court Judge Judith Sheindlin. The show features Sheindlin adjudicating real-life small claims disputes within a simulated courtroom set. Prior to the proceedings, all parties involved must sign contracts, agreeing to arbitration under Sheindlin. The series is in first-run syndication and distributed by CBS Television Distribution, which is the successor company to the show's previous distributors: Worldvision Enterprises, Paramount Domestic Television, and CBS Paramount Domestic Television.

Judge Judy, which premiered on September 16, 1996, boasts the feat of successfully revitalizing the court show genre. Only two other arbitration-based reality court shows preceded it, The People's Court (its first life cancelled in 1993 from low ratings) and Jones and Jury (lasting only the 1994–95 season, short-lived from low ratings). Moreover, Sheindlin has been credited with introducing the "tough" adjudicating approach into the judicial genre, which has led to several imitators. The two court shows that outnumber Judge Judy's seasons (The People's Court and even more so Divorce Court) have both lasted via multiple lives of production, that is, series revivals and shifting arbitrators, making Sheindlin's span as a television arbitrator the longest. With all its seasons having aired consecutively and solely under Sheindlin, Judge Judy has had the longest individual life of any reality court show.

In February 2006, Sheindlin received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame—during the court show's 10th season—making her the first television judge to receive the honor. By 2011, the Judge Judy program had been nominated 14 consecutive years for Daytime Emmy Awards, though without ever winning. In mid-2012, an article from the New York Post reported: Judge Judy was snubbed by the award show by not even being nominated despite being the highest-rated court show. In October 2012, Sheindlin was inducted into Broadcasting & Cable's Hall of Fame.

Since its premiere, Judge Judy has carried a streak as the ratings leader in courtroom-themed programming. Furthermore, Judge Judy has been the highest-rated show in all of daytime television since the 2009–10 television season (the show's 14th season), even surpassing The Oprah Winfrey Show during the talk show's final two seasons on the air. Judy secured this title and was also named the highest rated show in all of syndication for the 2011–12 term (season 16), averaging a 7.0 rating. The show has been renewed several times over the course of its existence, the most recent renewal being on May 2, 2011, with Sheindlin renewing her contract through 2014–15, which will be the show's 19th season. Season 17 of Judge Judy premiered on September 10, 2012, marking a switch to high-definition.

Court show background

Origins

The show's creation stemmed from Judith Sheindlin's reputation as one of the toughest family court judges in the country becoming the topic of a Los Angeles Times article in February 1993. (Sheindlin has disagreed with the labels "tough" and "harsh", rather believing herself as just being direct and calling it as she sees it). On May 21, 1993, Joseph Wapner was released from The People's Court. As soon as Sheindlin got wind of his release, she called up the program. When a receptionist answered, Sheindlin remarked "You know, if he doesn't want to do this show anymore, I can do it." The receptionist snapped, "Are you crazy, lady?" and hung the phone up on Sheindlin. The Los Angeles Times article on Sheindlin caught the attention of 60 Minutes, the show later airing a segment on Sheindlin, with Morley Safer reporting. The segment aired on October 24, 1993, with Sheindlin 51 at the time. Sheindlin was apprehensive as to whether or not 60 Minutes would capture her in a positive light, originally keeping the segment private between herself and her husband, Jerry Sheindlin. After discovering the show did indeed present her favorably, Sheindlin revealed the segment to family and friends, together celebrating. The segment brought her national recognition and first led to an offer for her to write her own book. Sheindlin accepted the book offer, writing Don't Pee On My Leg and Tell Me It's Raining.

With the O.J. Simpson trial capturing the American public and gluing them to their seats in 1995, Big Ticket Productions President Larry Lyttle was motivated to invigorate the then stagnant judicial genre (there were only a few rather unpopular nontraditional court shows out at the time). With Lance Ito (the judge in the O.J. Simpson trial) entirely uninterested in pursuing a career in television, Lyttle was forced to seek elsewhere. Informed of Sheindlin's history through the Los Angeles Times article and 60 Minutes, he was instantly captivated. After that, a former People's Court producer who worked with Lyttle asked Sheindlin if she'd like to "preside" over her own courtroom series.

With The People's Court and the short-lived Jones and Jury being the only other "arbitration-based reality" court shows that had ever aired by this time, both having been cancelled due to low ratings, Sheindlin cited a feeling of uncertainty with whether or not people were still even interested in court shows. Despite this, she and the show's producers went ahead with attempting to invigorate the judicial genre. Sheindlin and Lyttle originally wanted the show title to be "Judy Justice" or "Hot Bench," even promoting the show as "Hot Bench With Judge Judy" for some time prior to debuting. Ultimately, however, Big Ticket decided on Judge Judy. Although Judge Judy is the title of the show, it has also become a nickname for Judith Sheindlin. She was 53 upon the court show's debut. Sheindlin has expressed disapproval with the pilot of her court show, feeling that her producers were originally trying to go in a more fictitious direction, treating her as an actress and giving her cases that weren't real.

Petri Hawkins-Byrd, the court show's bailiff, was also Sheindlin's bailiff throughout her career in the Manhattan Family Court system. When Byrd found out about Sheindlin presiding over an upcoming court show in a Liz Smith column, he sent her a congratulatory letter, stating, "If you ever need a bailiff, I still look good in uniform." Sheindlin phoned Byrd at his home in California to accept his offer, and he's been the show's bailiff since its debut. Sheindlin has stated that the show strongly wanted other choices as bailiff, but she adamantly refused any other bailiff besides Byrd. 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 Cristina Pérez. Randy Douthit and Timothy Regler are currently the show's executive producers. Regler, however, who's been with the show since its debut, will retire in 2013 following completion of the show's 17th season. Amy Freisleben is scheduled to succeed him.

10 years after her first appearance on 60 Minutes, Sheindlin revisited the program for another interview segment, which aired on April 30, 2003. By this point, Sheindlin was 60 years of age and into her 7th season of Judge Judy. During the interview, Sheindlin remarked:

"I have a contract with the company to do the program through the 2006 season. At that point, we will have produced this program for 10 years. Right now, I would be satisfied with a good 10-year run. I think that would really be phenomenal. It would be lovely if we could end on a high note and for me to say 10 years, and I still had people watching and I had a second career that was a blast."

On-air format

Each episode of Judge Judy begins with an introductory preview of the main case, sensationalizing various moments of the case with dramatic music, voice-over commentary, graphics, etc. This is followed by the show's opening theme song/intro. At the beginning of each court proceeding, information regarding who is suing who and what for is revealed originally by voice-over artist Michael Stull, who was later replaced by the show's current voice-over artist Jerry Bishop. Sheindlin typically begins each case by questioning the parties as to dates, times, locations, and other facts central to the lawsuit. Monopolizing the discourse throughout the cases, Sheindlin will sometimes only listen to bits and pieces of each of the testimonies as she's quick to reply and tends to disallow responses that aren't concise or made during her desire to speak. Sometimes, however, Sheindlin will allow one or both of the opposing litigants to recount the entirety of their testimony. While delivering their testimony, litigants are not allowed to hesitate and must maintain fixed eye contact with Sheindlin at all times. Further, litigants are not allowed to speak out of turn or talk to each other.

Like most court shows, cases on Judge Judy imitate small claims court cases in which civil trials (non-criminal cases) are heard and ruled on. Typically Sheindlin handles cases among former lovers, disputing neighbors, or family and friend relations. Disputes generally revolve around issues such as broken engagements, unpaid personal loans, contract breaches, minor property damages (e.g., fender benders, carpet stains, etc.), the fate of jointly purchased household appliances and rightful ownership of property, and the like. As is standard practice in small claims court and most reality court shows alike, Judge Judy proceedings operate in the form of a bench trial (as opposed to its more common counterpart, the jury trial). Moreover, lawyers are not present and litigants must defend themselves.

In the first two commercial breaks, a preview of the remainder of the ongoing case, sometimes along with the following case, is typically shown. When the show returns from the first two commercial breaks, the voice-over sounds, stating "Real cases! Real people! Judge Judy!", followed by a verbal recap of the ongoing case. After the third commercial break, the voice-over sounds again, this time providing the show's telephone number and website to submit cases. Generally each show presents two cases, but infrequently, an episode will present a single long case, three shorter ones, or even four shorter ones.

After expressing her views of the circumstances and behaviors of the litigants with regards to their testimonies, Sheindlin renders the judgment either by finding for the plaintiff (typically with the statement, "Judgment for the plaintiff for the amount of x dollars. That's all."), by dismissing the case, or by dismissing the case specifically without prejudice. Any counterclaims filed are handled similarly to this. Counterclaims are handled subsequently in the same segment, though often cursorily by Sheindlin as many counterclaims on the program have been filed out of vindictiveness as opposed to legitimacy. At the end of a case, the plaintiff(s), the defendant(s), and sometimes their witnesses express their feelings to the camera in the style of a monologue confessional (which are a custom of reality television). Sometimes, however, this part of the program is omitted, especially after cases involving resentful litigants, too upset over the circumstances to remain in the studio and provide comment.

Structure

In order to ensure a full audience, the producers of Judge Judy hire extras from an audience service, who compose the entire gallery. Most of these paid extras are aspiring actors. 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. 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." They are not to make any noises during the proceedings and, unlike other court shows, may not applaud the judge or rightful litigant upon praiseworthy remarks; although on some occasions when Sheindlin delivers a crushing remark for a particularly egregious or ludicrous act, the audience is seen laughing or applauding without Sheindlin silencing them. For the most part, however, Sheindlin is seen bringing the audience to order and admonishing them for engaging in any such noise throughout the cases.

As far as the court cases are concerned, at least most of what is seen on Judge Judy is neither staged nor scripted. To acquire cases for the most part, the show uses either: A.) its 60 to 65 researchers, spread out across the country, entering small claims courts and photocopying numerous cases. These photocopied cases are then sent to Judge Judy producers, who review them all in search of lawsuits they believe will make for good television. According to the show's producers, only 3% of the photocopied cases are worthy enough for television B.) its telephone number posting/announcement presented on each episode for interested individuals to call in with lawsuits C.) its website whereby lawsuits can be written out and submitted into the show. After one of these three processes, if the producers are interested, their employees will then call both parties and ask them questions relating to their lawsuit, making sure they're 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 Sheindlin dismisses the lawsuit without prejudice), their case will air on Judge Judy. At least some of the cases on the series, however, have been scripted or at least "semi-scripted", even as noted in a 2005 nonfiction literature piece, a section reading:

"I checked out my future fellow audience members on this day—aspiring actors, other people looking to make easy money. One guy near me had a script for the TV show Judge Judy—the show is scripted!"

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 the purpose. Sheindlin rules by either A.) issuing a verdict of a specific dollar amount (not always in the full amount of what's requested and rarely if ever in excess of what's requested even if she believes complainants are deserving of more) or by dismissing the lawsuit altogether. When ruled on in these manners, cases cannot be refiled or retried elsewhere. However, if Sheindlin specifically dismisses the lawsuit "without prejudice", that lawsuit may be refiled and retried in another forum. In some instances, Sheindlin has dismissed cases without prejudice deliberately so that complainants pursue defendants in an actual court of law so that the defendants themselves are held financially accountable, this as opposed to the show. In such cases, Sheindlin has expressed particular aversion to the defendants in question. Further, Sheindlin has dismissed cases without prejudice when she has suspected both the plaintiff(s) and defendant(s) of conspiring together just to gain monetary rewards from the show.

Both the plaintiff(s) and the defendant(s) also receive an appearance fee. The appearance fee amount has varied as between different litigants of the show: certain litigants have reported receiving a $500 appearance fee while others have reported receiving $100, and others $250. In addition to the appearance fee amount, litigants are paid $35 a day 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, and the experience is generally treated as an all-expense-paid vacation outside of the actual court case. If there is an exchange of property, Sheindlin signs an order, and a sheriff or marshal oversees the exchange. 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, not including any footage deleted to meet the time constraints of the show, usually last anywhere from twelve to forty-five minutes.

Judge Judy, like most court programs, is cheap to produce and thus brings in a lot of money. A budget for a week's worth of Judge Judy episodes is half the cost of a single network sitcom episode.

Recordings and airings

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. This makes for about a week's worth of episodes, all taped within one day. Anywhere from thirty to thirty-six cases are filmed over the three days they tape per week. Sheindlin appeared as a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on September 13, 2011. When asked by Kimmel how many days a month she works, Sheindlin replied, "Five days." 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 staff 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 that 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 seasons, the cases taped throughout April, May, June, and July start out each season in September and last through October. 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 has sometimes included 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 other television programs, the Judge Judy season finale does not air in April or May; rather, it airs in June, July, or August. When the season finale is extended to July or August, most of the summer episodes preceding it are repeats with new episodes that are few and far in-between.

Two DVDs, featuring "memorable cases", have been released by the show: the first in 2007, "Judge Judy: Justice Served", and the second in 2008, "Judge Judy: Second To None."

Location

Judge Judy tapes at the Sunset Bronson Studios on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. In alternating weeks, 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. The show sometimes tapes from the Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens, New York.

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 (which remains the name of the terminal of the E train), 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 letterbox-like graphics used going to and from breaks since the ninth season. The set features a New York State Flag behind Sheindlin's seat.

Remodeling

Over its existence, the show has changed very little from season to season. Most modifications to the program have been done in minute detail, such as to the show's book shelf display seen near the courtroom entrance. Aesthetically, the show's theme song, graphics, and color scheme are the only aspects that have changed repeatedly over its past seventeen years. The ninth season (2004–05) is one of few seasons in which the show underwent major remodeling when music for the show's opening, closing, and to/fro commercial portions were modified. A jazzed version of a melody from Beethoven's 5th Symphony was adopted as the show's then new opening theme song. For its scenes, Sheindlin is shown in a different courtroom from her own (part of a proposed renovation to the courtroom that was rejected by Sheindlin for being too dark), approaching the camera, followed by folding her arms and smiling at the camera. This is followed by showing various scenes of her presiding over different cases. As part of these modifications, the show's introductory previews, graphics, and images all began showing up in falu red.

Prior to the ninth season, the show used an unprecedented tune for its theme song. From the show's debut through its eighth season, various versions of this unprecedented tune were used, the show making moderate modifications to the tune every few seasons. From seasons four through eight, the opening music video commenced with an approaching scene towards a computer animated courthouse display up until that scene entered into the courthouse. From there, several shots of Sheindlin gesticulating from her bench—as though presiding over various cases—were displayed in motion. These motioning images eventually developed into the courthouse logo that represents the program (the logo always displayed within the letter "D" in "Judy") by the end of this opening music video. The music video in seasons prior to this used relatively similar music with disparities in scenes, images, instrumental sound type and theme song length.

Further, early seasons of the show used graphics and images that were sea green and saffron. Blue and saffron then came to represent multiple seasons of the show before the show's current color scheme. By the show's sixth season (2001-02), music and graphics used in the introductory previews no longer resembled the rest of the program as they had previously, but instead used a high blue color scheme and a different song for each episode/intro preview. While the introductory preview's inconstant tunes have continued to the present season, the color scheme in the introductory previews began resembling the color scheme used in the rest of the program (falu red) once again by the ninth season.

Each opening music video consists of Voice-Over Artist Jerry Bishop stating: "You are about to enter the courtroom of Judge Judith Sheindlin. The people are real. The cases are real. The rulings are final. This is Judge Judy." Originally between the statements "The rulings are final" and "This is Judge Judy" was the statement, "This is her courtroom." This was removed in 2004. Beginning in September 2012, the show made a switch to high definition with its 17th season. The bumpers between commercials are also in HD, although most on-screen graphics such as plaintiff and defendant descriptions are framed to fit a 4x3 aspect ratio.

Judge Judith Sheindlin

Main article: Judith Sheindlin

Judge Judith Sheindlin

Judge Judy was born on October 21, 1942, in Brooklyn, New York, to German-Jewish parents Murray and Ethel Blum. Sheindlin described her father, a dentist, as "the greatest thing since sliced bread" and her mother as "a meat-and-potatoes kind of gal." It was reported in October 2012 that Sheindlin makes approximately $865,385 per episode of Judge Judy.

Judy has gained a reputation as a judge in both the family court and on television as a no-nonsense fact-finder and incisive decision-maker. In line with these attributes, her program has been touted as "a show where justice is dispensed at the speed of light." Moreover, resolute in her rulings, arguments and excuses are often to no avail under Sheindlin.

Strict in her management of the proceedings, Sheindlin coerces precise compliance of rules and has been known to punish disobedience and misbehavior. And as result of her frequent gruff disposition, volatile temper, and saucy commentary, taglines such as "Justice with an Attitude" have been used to characterize the show. As examples of this, Sheindlin has regularly made such remarks as "Do I have 'stupid' written over my forehead?" "I'm here because I'm smart, not because I'm young and gorgeous, although I am," "If you live to be 100, you will never be as smart as I am, sir," "Clearly you are not wrapped too tight," "Where did you think you were coming to today?! A tea party?!" "I'm speaking!" "If you interrupt again, your case is dismissed, and I'm throwing you out. Do we understand each other?" "I've been in this business for over 40 years," "There's something wrong with you," "Do I look like I need help from you?" "This is my playpen," etc.

Sheindlin's regular locutions on the program have become known as "Judyisms." Some of these Judyisms are intended to provide a lesson, such as "A good deed never goes unpunished," "Beauty fades, dumb is forever," "If It doesn't make sense, it's not true," "Do you know when teenagers are lying? When their mouths move," etc. Sheindlin has used the position of television arbitrator to impart "valuable" guidance, direction, and life lessons not only to her litigants, but to her viewers and public at large as well. Among examples of Sheindlin's guidance include the advice for individuals to be independent through employment so as not to live under another's potentially unbearable rules or abuse. Sheindlin has stated that the main message she wants viewers to take from her program is that people must take responsibility for their actions and do the right thing.

Reception

Ratings by season

1996–1998

Judge Judy went on the air in September 1996. By the end of October of that year, the show was averaging only a 1.5 rating, putting it in the midrank of the 159 syndicated shows on the air. At that time, it was never expected that the show's ratings would ever compete with highly successful daytime TV shows of the time, such as The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Rosie O'Donnell Show and The Jerry Springer Show. According to Biography's documentary film on Sheindlin, "Judge Judy: Sitting in Judgment" (aired February 21, 2000), producers of Judge Judy were disappointed that the show was barely making it on the radar. However, it didn't take long for the court show to pick up momentum as Judge Judy rose to a 2.1 rating by the end of that first season. By its 2nd season (1997–98), the court show had already risen into the 4 ratings ranges, averaging a 4.3.

The 3rd season (1998–99) of Judge Judy was the show's first season as the highest-rated program in daytime television, having surpassed the highly rated Jerry Springer Show and even daytime powerhouse The Oprah Winfrey Show for the first time (King World Productions which launched Oprah was a corporate sibling of CBS Television Studios, which distributed Judge Judy): the program's ratings more than doubled to a 5.6 for that season, marking Judge Judy as an early success.

It was due, in part, to this early success that daytime television began to feature more court programming, such as a revival of The People's Court that re-debuted in fall 1997. In 1999, Judge Judy moved from Worldvision Enterprises to Paramount Domestic Television, which also distributed her stablemate Judge Joe Brown and (eventually) Judge Mills Lane. Many other former judges were given their own court shows in syndication due in large part to Sheindlin's popularity; these include Greg Mathis, Glenda Hatchett, Alex Ferrer, Maria Lopez, Karen Mills-Frances, Cristina Perez, David Young, and many others. In addition, the series helped to spawn various nontraditional court programs, including: the reality-based revival of Divorce Court, which was originally presided over by Mablean Ephriam and now helmed by Lynn Toler; the short-lived Power of Attorney, capturing various high-profile attorneys arguing cases for litigants in front of Andrew Napolitano; Street Court, which took litigation outside of the courtroom; Jury Duty, featuring an all-celebrity jury hearing cases presided over by Bruce Cutler; etc. Furthermore, the role of Judge Judy in the rise in popularity of daytime court shows enabled several other non-judges to preside over courts, such as Nancy Grace, Jeanine Pirro, and Gloria Allred.

Also, partly due to Sheindlin's popularity, the producers of The People's Court decided to replace Ed Koch with Sheindlin's husband, Jerry Sheindlin, as their presiding judge during The People's Court's 3rd present life season/15th overall season (1999-00); this meant that husband and wife would be either part of the same afternoon lineup or competing for ratings against each other. This experiment, however, did not last long as midway through The People's Court's fourth season, Sheindlin was replaced by the show's current judge, Marilyn Milian.

1999–2006

For her 4th season (1999–00), Judy's ratings exploded to their highest yet, peaking at a 9.3. At this point, Sheindlin's show was still the highest rated in daytime. Because of the program's success, Judge Judy began airing at better time periods.

It was by the show's 5th season (2000–01) that Judy's streak of growing in ratings from season to season ever since its debut had discontinued. However, the court show still remained the highest-rated program in daytime that season with a 5.6 rating. By the 6th season (2001–02), Judy was no longer the highest-rated program in daytime, beaten out by The Oprah Winfrey Show. The show averaged a 5.0 rating that season. Likewise, for her 7th season (2002–03), she also averaged a 5.0. For her 8th season (2003-04), Sheindlin finally reversed the season-to-season downward turn in her ratings by averaging a 7.1. Of the seven running court shows during the 2004–05 season, most of them earned a 3.63 rating; however, Judge Judy pulled in a 7.5 rating for that season (the show's 9th). For her 10th season (2005–06), Judge Judy averaged a 4.8 rating. Judge Judy averaged 4.6 rating for her 11th season (2006-07). Meanwhile, other programs in the genre were trailing Sheindlin from a vast distance (as has been the case since the debut of Judge Judy): Judge Joe Brown averaged a 2.9 rating; The People's Court averaged a 2.7; Judge Mathis averaged a 2.4; Divorce Court averaged a 2.0; Judge Alex averaged 1.9; Judge Hatchett averaged a 1.5; rookies--Cristina's Court averaged a 1.4, and Judge Maria Lopez came in last, averaging a 1.0 rating.

2007–2011

For its 12th season (2007–08), Judge Judy averaged a 4.8 rating (4.8 HH AA%/7.4 HH GAA% rating); Judy was the only first-run syndication program to increase in ratings for that season from the previous, leading CBS to immediately extend her contract through the 2012-13 season. For its 13th season (2008–09), the show averaged a 4.2 rating (4.2 HH AA%/6.5 HH GAA% rating). Its 14th season (2009–10) marked the first season in nearly a decade since the 2000-01 season that any daytime television program had been able to surpass The Oprah Winfrey Show's ratings (Judge Judy is also the show in question that during the 2000–01 television season surpassed The Oprah Winfrey Show in daytime TV ratings): Judy broke Winfrey's near decade-long streak with a 4.4 rating (4.4 HH AA%/6.9 HH GAA% rating). It was also at that point that Sheindlin's courtrooom series became the highest rated show in all of daytime television programming. Judy secured this title in its 15th season (2010–11) as the program remained ahead of Oprah in her final season and the highest-rated daytime television offering, averaging a 5.1 rating and 9.6 million viewers an episode. Late that season in May 2011, as a result of continued high ratings, CBS again extended Sheindlin's contract, this time through the 2014-15 season.

In the first post-Oprah television season, the court show continued its reign as the most dominant show in daytime and also became the top-rated show in syndication with its 16th season (2011–12) attaining a 7.0 rating. As the top-rated show in all of syndication at this point, Sheindlin defeated not only first-run syndication programs but also off-network syndication programs (rerun episodes of programs off their original network). The title of overall syndication leader was previously held by Two and a Half Men (2010–11) and before that Wheel of Fortune (2009–10).

Judge Judy's ratings boost in its 16th season and late in the show's 15th season was at least partly due to Nielsen's change in methodology, in April 2011. This variation benefits programs that air multiple, differing episodes a day. The updated method is totalling ratings points through adding all viewings for each daily episode–even if one of those viewings come from an individual already counted in as having watched another of the show's daily episodes. For example, as Judge Judy airs two different episodes per day, two ratings points are counted for every one person who has watched both the first and second daily airings. This is as opposed to one person's viewing of the two daily episodes amounting to only one ratings point. Prior to the convert, the latest method was only used in GAA numbers, while the previous method was used in average audience measure. Some court shows air in one hour blocks and thus do not benefit at all from the updated method. Worth noting, however, is that shows airing multiple daily episodes may not directly benefit monetarily as the rating system that local stations use to sell to advertisers is based upon the prior method.

2012–present

As of February 2013, according to Nielsen ratings data, the court show's 17th season has averaged 9.4 million viewers per day and has regularly scored in the low to mid 7 ratings ranges. In the midst of dissension as to the future of its ratings-declining sister show, Judge Joe Brown (2nd highest rated court show since its debut), Judy was said to have scored a massive 8+ rating for episodes airing in late February. Thus far throughout the 2012–13 season, Judge Judy has remained one of the highest rated programs in syndication but has fell to third place behind formidable rivals The Big Bang Theory (off-network syndication) in first place and Wheel of Fortune (first-run syndication) in second place. Though Sheindlin's first-place spot in syndication has, thus far, slipped in the current season, she has remained the first-place finisher as far as daytime television programming. Thus far throughout the 2012–13 season, Sheindlin's closest competitor in daytime is Family Feud w/ Steve Harvey. Despite its ranking as daytime's 2nd highest rated show, Feud poses no threat whatsoever to Judy at the present. Still and all, the game show has been described as "fast-rising" since Harvey's 2010–present reign and, in fact, has recently risen into the 5 ratings ranges as of midway into the 2012–13 season

Producer Randy Douthit

Judge Judy producer Randy Douthit has stated that "they are guilty of cannibalizing each other. Most of these court shows are lucky to get above a 1 rating today." Judge Judy's daytime audience is composed of approximately seventy-five percent women and twenty-five percent men.

Criticism

Sheindlin's behavior and treatment of the parties that have appeared before her has often been the subject of criticism by her detractors. Regular viewers of the program have also been criticized as "sadistic" for their delight in watching Sheindlin engage in her typical behaviors. One such example of criticism has come from the first star of arbitration-based reality court shows, Joseph Wapner. Wapner, who presided over The People's Court from 1981 to 1993, is a long-time critic of Sheindlin. On November 26, 2002, 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."

Sheindlin has since stated:

"As a young person, when I had watched The People's Court . . . I said you know what, I could do that. And at least as well because while Joe Wapner is a very good judge, didn't have much of a sense of humor. And I always knew from a very practical perspective that you have to marry those two things in order to be successful in entertainment."

Acclaim

• Many regular viewers and supporters of Judge Judy have defended Sheindlin's treatment of the parties that have appeared before her by describing the parties as an "endless parade of idiots" that Sheindlin has had to put up with.

• In February 2013, head coach of the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League, Jim Harbaugh, was asked about the importance of truthfulness and enthusiastically remarked:

"Somebody that's not truthful? That's big to me. I'm a big fan of the "Judge Judy" show. When you lie in Judge Judy's courtroom, it's over. Your credibility is completely lost, and you stand no chance of winning that case. So I learned that from her. It's very powerful and true. If somebody lies to you, how can you trust anything they ever say after that?"

• On shopping Sheindlin around to producers, Larry Lyttle of Big Ticket Television, stated:

"[An agent] rolled the [60 Minutes] tape before we started the meeting. It was immediately clear that there was a unique personality there. I've been asked in hundreds of interviews if I knew what I had when I met her. Honestly, nobody knew, but I knew I would rather fail by taking a chance on her than not taking a shot at all. Court shows are just talk shows with resolution-that's the secret sauce. And Judy had this uncanny ability to facilitate conversations. She was decisive and clear, coupled with a distinct personality. All of that made it a slam dunk."

• Said Brad Adgate, senior vice president of research for Horizon Media:

"Judge Judy is the new Oprah of daytime TV-actually, she was [already] beating Oprah while Oprah was still on."

• Stated president and CEO of CBS, Leslie Moonves:

"Over the last few decades, there have been very few shows that have achieved the remarkable success that she has. Not only has Judy sustained that success year after year, how many shows grow in their 15th or 16th year in syndication? She started as a fresh voice and she's been a remarkable presence in daytime television ever since."

Lawsuits against Judge Judy & Randy Douthit

Judge Judy executive producer Randy Douthit has been served twice by former staff members of the Judge Judy program for alleged wrongful termination, discriminatory practice, and mismanagement while on the job. Sheindlin was not named as a defendant in any of these lawsuits. Later on in early 2013, however, Sheindlin was embroiled into a lawsuit involving Douthit and his estranged wife.

Whitewashing/racism lawsuit

In December 2007, Jonathan Sebastien, a former producer of the Judge Judy show of 7 years, filed a lawsuit against Douthit in L.A. County Superior Court for wrongful termination. Sheindlin was not, however, named as a defendant. The lawsuit alleged that his boss on the court show, Douthit, told staffers, "We're not doing anymore black shows," "I don't want to hear black people arguing," "I don't want to hear no black language on the TV," etc. Sebastien also claimed that when he proposed certain cases for the show involving black litigants, Douthit rejected them as "Too ghetto." Douthit also allegedly told producers that they had to book "white, upscale pretty people" and told Sebastien to send the black litigants to the show led by African-American Judge Joe Brown.

Sebastien claimed that in January 2007, he objected to the policy in a meeting, leading his boss to "berate" him, "mock" him, and refer to him as "Fucking loser." Three months later on March 30, Sebastien stated he was fired with the reason given that rating numbers were down. But Sebastien claimed that the real reason he was fired was because he opposed the show's "discriminatory selection process."

Ageism lawsuit

That same day in December 2007, the show's former associate producer Karen Needle was also fired. She later sued Douthit, claiming that she was wrongfully terminated because she was too old, 54 at the time. Sheindlin was not named as a defendant. Needle, who helped book audiences for the program, stated the reason she was given for being fired was "unspecified conflict from her audience work." Needle said she began suffering from back pain, sometimes even resorting to lying on the ground in pain, and when she asked her bosses for a new chair, nothing was done. According to the complaint, two weeks before Needle was fired, she took off four days to assist her ailing 88-year-old mother. Needle stated:

"There is a lot of terrible stuff going on if two people file separate lawsuits. It's a toxic situation over there. This is supposed to be Judge Judy, the voice of justice, and yet her own staff isn't treated well. What is she getting paid all that money for if her own staff is treated with such little decency?"

Sheindlin's comments on Randy Douthit

At around the same time in 2007, Sheindlin told Broadcasting & Cable:

"Randy is the choreographer of our program. From day one, his wise judgment and television savvy have led our show to a super successful 11 years."

Conspiracy/fraud allegations

On March 12, 2013, Douthit's estranged wife, Patric (alternate spelling of "Patrice") Jones, filed a lawsuit against Sheindlin. In the lawsuit, Sheindlin stood accused of swindling Jones out of her Christofle china and flatware through a conspiracy with her divorcing husband. Sheindlin allegedly purchased the valuables from Douthit while knowing his divorcing wife had equal ownership over it. Moreover, Sheindlin purchased the items which Jones valued at $514,421 for only 50,815 (Jones's divorce judge placed the value at only $125,000). Douthit and Jones had filed for divorce in July 2007, but the divorce was not finalized. Jones alleged that Sheindlin knew of the couple's acrimonious divorce and conspired with Douthit to deprive her of her valuables in 2009, stating that Sheindlin knew the deeply discounted sale was revenge. Jones was said to have learned of the sale in 2011. According to Jones' lawyer, Perry Wander, Sheindlin told Jones to go pound sand when Jones made a written demand for Sheindlin to return the property and also ignored a court order that required Douthit to return the property. Wander said:

"As a former family law judge, she knew that California is a community property state and that a spouse cannot sell community property without the written consent of both spouses and certainly not at 10 cents on the dollar. Sheindlin was not a bona fide purchaser for value. Sheindlin was willful and intended to cause injury to the plaintiff."

In addition, Jones accused Douthit of agreeing to reduce his profit participation in the Judge Judy show in order to pay less money in the divorce settlement. The suit sought the return of the china and flatware along with at least $500,000 in punitive damages. That same day on March 12, 2013, Sheindlin replied through TMZ:

"I have not seen any complaint by the former Mrs. Douthit, however, I don't owe this lady a cent. And if this 50-year-old woman would spend her time more productively at trying to find a job, instead of abusing the judicial system with frivolous lawsuits, we would all be a lot better off."

Jones later responded through TMZ and ABC News interviews:

"I don't care. I don't want any money. I just want my property back. Why do I deserve this? What have I done to Judy? She told me to get lost. She said she's a judge, she's a lawyer, and don't contact her ever again." When asked what her plea to Judge Judy is, Jones replied, "To do the right thing and return the china and silverware." Jones later stated that she wanted the china and another half million dollars in punitive damages. Jones also stated, "I don’t want to sue Judge Judy ... We were close friends. She counseled me on my marriage. I flew on her private plane. We vacationed together and had dinner once a week. I just want my china back."

On March 15, 2013, Sheindlin attempted to end the heavily media-covered conflict, stating to TMZ:

"This very unpleasant lady doesn't give a hoot about dishes. She cares about pressuring her ex-husband and the way to do that is to attempt to embarrass me. The divorce judge called Patric Jones out for being "untruthful," "dishonest" and "misleading" during portions of her testimony. She and her attorney want a circus and I refuse to be a further participant in their drama. As Ms. Jones and her attorney assert, the items are community property. They are being packed and returned to Mr. Douthit, and she can proceed with her claim in divorce court. Anyway, my husband and I eat out most of the time." (It was also reported that Sheindlin would eat the $50,000 she paid Douthit as she never requested to be refunded her money).

That same day, Douthit also issued a response through TMZ:

"The dishes and silverware that Ms. Jones describes as community property are being sent to me. I am truly sorry that Judge Judy Sheindlin was brought into this domestic dispute. She relied on my statement to her that the court had authorized the sale. I agree with my ex that as community property she is entitled to half their value. She herself has valued them at more than $500,000 (the ex-couple's divorce judge placed the value at $125,000). I do not want them, and she is certainly welcome to have them as that is what she says she wants. When I get the cashier's check for $250,000, I will deliver them to her."

Later on that day, Wander rebutted:

"That's not good enough. The lawsuit still stands until the items are returned directly to the court or my client. Judge Judy is making yet another mistake. It's like stupid is indeed tattooed on her forehead (a modified version of one of Sheindlin's popular catch phrases). My client is ready to pay Douthit $12,500 to buy him out: his 50% share minus the $50,000 he pocketed from Sheindlin. We want the china. There is a lot of sentimental value. It was purchased with my client's father right before he died." Shortly thereafter however, Wander announced that the issue had been resolved, stating "The case is over. Patric will pay Randy $12,500 and she gets the dishes."

External links

• JudgeJudy.com – the show's official homepage
• Syndi-Court Justice: Judge Judy and Exploitation of Arbitration – a critical essay on small-claims arbitration shows, at the website of the American Bar Association
• Template:Tv.com show
• Judge Judy at IMDb