Judge Judy
| Judge Judy | |
|---|---|
Judge Judith Sheindlin. | |
| Starring | Judith Sheindlin Petri Hawkins-Byrd Jerry Bishop |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | Syndicated |
| Release | 1996 – present |
Judge Judy is an American syndicated "judicial," "court," or "syndi-court" show. The program premiered in 1996. The return of The People's Court, as well as an influx of other judge shows, such as Judge Mathis, Judge Joe Brown, Judge Alex and Judge Hatchett, are largely seen as a result of Judge Judy's success. The show has been renewed through the 2009/2010 season. Judge Judy has nearly completed her 11th season. The 12th season is expected to premiere on Monday, September 10, 2007. The following day, the show's first DVD is scheduled to be released.
The show features former family court judge Judith Sheindlin, arbitrating small claims cases. Each show is introduced by announcer Jerry Bishop with the statement: 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.
Petri Hawkins-Byrd, Judge Judy's bailiff, with his absolutely sedate composure, is often a foil to Judge Judy who berates litigants for the bad choices they make in their lives. Through cross-examination, she frequently exposes the lies the litigants tell and humiliates them for doing so.
Broadcasts
Judge Judy is broadcast in many English-speaking countries.
- In Canada, Judge Judy airs daily on the Global television network; occasionally, the judge even hears cases brought by Canadian litigants.
- In the UK, ITV2 airs two episodes twice a day during weekdays, with network announcers often affectionately referring to her simply as "the Judge".
- In Australia, Judge Judy shows every weekday on Network Ten, and is one of the highest rating daytime programs on commercial television. [1] It also airs on W. Channel on cable television.
Additionally, the show has been airing in the Middle East on One TV, a satellite channel operating from Dubai, UAE.
At one point, Sheindlin's show was even surpassing Oprah Winfrey's (which is syndicated by King World Productions, a corporate sibling of Judge Judy's distibutor, CBS Paramount Television), making her the highest-paid woman in television history at the time. [2]
Legal aspects
While the cases on Judge Judy are actual small-claims court cases, and Sheindlin operates according to the principles of the American legal system, 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 Doo Wop Shoppe Ltd. v. Ralph Edwards, syndi-court justice was determined not to be an actual form of arbitration because a third party pays the cost of the judgment. This decision was subsequently overturned.[1].
The award limit on Judge Judy, as on most syndi-court shows, is US$5,000, the maximum award in small claims courts in most U.S. states. The award for each judgment is paid by the producers of the show from a fund reserved for each case. The remainder of the fund is split between the parties for a particular case.
There are no lawyers present and participants defend themselves, as is standard in a small claims court. The people who appear on her show sign a waiver agreeing that arbitration in her court is final and cannot be pursued elsewhere unless she dismisses the case without prejudice. In practice, rulings on the show have been 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. [2]
Petri Hawkins-Byrd
Petri Hawkins Byrd (born November, 1957) is the bailiff on Judge Judy.
Byrd is a native of Brooklyn, New York. He attended John Jay College of Criminal Justice and received his Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice in 1989. While attending college, Byrd worked as a court officer in the Brooklyn Family Court system. In 1986, he was transferred to the Manhattan Family Court system, where he worked on a rotating basis with all the judges, including Judge Judy. "I was never bored in her courtroom," muses Byrd. "Her get-to-the-point style didn't always sit well with the litigants, and there were times she was definitely glad to have me around."
In 1990, Byrd relocated to San Mateo, California, and became a Special Deputy U.S. Marshal. In 1993, Byrd accepted an offer to work as a student counselor at Monta Vista High School in Cupertino, CA.[3] His main role is to introduce the cases. Unlike most bailiffs, Byrd is rather frank, even with Judge Judy. Byrd and his family now reside in Elk Grove, CA.
References
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
- Kramer Vs. Judging Judy, criticism by Irwin Kramer, The Daily Record, November 10, 2003
- Template:Tv.com show
- Judge Judy at IMDb
- Petri Hawkins-Byrd at IMDb
