Summary
Judge Judy may be certified, but the show’s proceedings are more akin to arbitration than a courtroom.
The iconic courtroom set on Judge Judy is a convincing fake that immerses viewers in the proceedings.
Litigants on the show are not standard court audience, but paid extras chosen by the production team.
Despite being a fun and popular daytime television series that lasted decades, there has always been questions about whether Judge Judy is real. The star of the show was always the judge herself, Justice Judy Sheindlin. The beloved courtroom show came to a close in 2021, but it quickly made a comeback as Prime Video’s Justice Judy. Judge Sheindlin handles small claims on the show, as litigants are brought on cases that rarely scratch the $2,000 mark. The judge is world-famous, and she’s one of the highest-paid TV hosts ever, as Judge Judy made $147 million in 2017 alone.
As the recognizable TV legend continues to make headlines, some aspects of her series have come into question. It bills itself as a reality show that is a true representation of a courtroom, but people associated with it have made statements to the contrary. Not everything is truly as it seems in the courtroom of Judge Judy. Even after the original series has ended and continues to be successful with reruns, the questions about what is real on Judge Judy persist. Between some participants being hired, Bailiff Byrd being an actor, and some cases being fictional, the answer is complicated.
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10 Judge Judy Arbitrates, Not Judges
Judy Sheindlin Is A Certified Judge But It Is Not Her Role On The Show
While the name of the show suggests that the duties being performed are that of a judge, the actual proceedings aren’t things that would happen at a courthouse. Judge Judy is a certified judge, but she performs the role of an arbitrator on the show. An essay from the official website of the American Bar Association outlines this, as the procedures on the show are ones of an arbitrator, an unbiased third party used by two people who have a dispute but do not want to go through a lengthy court case to resolve it.
However, her decisions are enforced and Judy has real authority to decide the outcome. Judy Sheindlin herself was first appointed as a criminal court judge in New York City in 1982 and eventually became a supervising family court judge in 1986 where she earned her tough reputation. While there are some who would suggest the show is falsely advertising itself, Sheindlin’s credentials are still impressive.
9 Judge Judy Is Not Filmed In A Courthouse
The Studio Set Adds A Convincing Authenticity
Another misleading element of the series is the courtroom setting which adds an authentic feel but is not real. Much like other reality productions, the series was entirely filmed in a studio lot, as listed on TVTix, the official website run by the show’s production team. The set crew did a fantastic job at replicating a real courtroom, as the set truly makes the viewer believe the show takes place in a courtroom.
With other shows, both fiction and non-fiction, having also designed a fake court set, the Judge Judy set is one of the more convincing fakes shown on television. The show clearly wants the viewers to be immersed in the proceedings as if they are watching a real court case and it is effective. In fact, when watching the show with the knowledge that this is all a set, it really takes away from the impact.
8 Judge Judy Is Not Filmed In New York
The Show Offers Misleading Clues To Its Location
Further expanding on the courtroom setting being fake, the location of it is also misleading. Judy Sheindlin was born and raised in New York City which is also where she got her start as a judge. The opening credits feature stock footage of the city and a state flag sits behind Sheindlin. Despite evidence leading toward the series being in New York, it’s actually on the other coast. Also listed on TvTix is the studio address, which is on Sunset Boulevard. Sheindlin lives on the East Coast but flies to California to film.
Indeed, her “New York attitude” is one of the winning aspects of Judy’s personality and the show is likely more than willing to embrace that. Sheindlin’s career in the New York City courts is a big reason that she rose to fame and eventually became a television personality. An article about her work as a judge in the Los Angeles Times kickstarted her entertainment career so it makes sense that the show would lean into that aspect of her personality.
7 The Judge Judy Audience Isn’t A Standard Court Room Audience
A Typical Courtroom Audience Is Made Up Of People Related To The Case
It may not come as a surprise that the courtroom gallery is also not a real courtroom audience. Normally, a courtroom is filled with aspiring lawyers and judges, families of those on trial, witnesses, a jury, or people awaiting litigation. Likewise, each episode of Judge Judy features a collection of people watching the proceedings much in the way a real courtroom audience would. However, a WDRB article featuring interviews with the cast and crew of the show revealed that the audience is mostly paid extras.
The majority of them are aspiring actors, with a very small segment being fans of the show. In one amusing moment in the show’s history, comedian Amy Schumer was once in the Judge Judy audience. Most daytime talk shows and reality shows of this kind have studio audiences that are incentivized to attend and help add to the energy of the show. However, it is interesting that Judge Judy’s audience is meant to sit quietly and listen with their only purpose being to add to the courtroom feel.
6 Some Judge Judy Cases Are Fake
Litigants Have Lied About Their Cases To Appear On The Show
Trying to understand Judge Judy’s realness is complicated, as the disagreements and cases being heard are mostly real. While the majority of the cases are legitimate, some not-so-legitimate ones have gotten through. In an interview with Vice, a litigant named Jonathan who appeared on the show in 2010, made a jaw-dropping revelation. His case, which was described as him getting drunk and belligerent and then smashing a TV and killing a pet cat, was completely fabricated.
He and some friends made it up for some money (litigants are paid for their appearance), a free trip to LA, and a lifelong story to tell. The fact that a guest was able to fabricate the entire case as it appeared on the show without the show fact-checking any of it shows how little they are concerned with presented real cases. It is likely that they seek out the most interesting and entertaining cases, not overly concerned with how real it is.
5 The Judge Judy Production Pays All Awards
The Stakes Of The Show Are Lower Than They Seem
Most Judge Judy cases end with a decision that has one party getting compensated in cash. The losing side having to pay the winner adds intrigue and seriousness to the show, as the two litigants ` have something at stake. While the winner does get paid, where it comes from isn’t the obvious answer. According to Distractify, the production crew pays out any monetary rewards that the Judge awards.
This is a perk to get people to agree to appear on the show. Since Judge Judy requires minimal expenses outside of Judy’s high salary, the minuscule production budget allows for a large budget dedicated to paying these fees for the litigants. It makes sense that the show would take such an approach as few people would want to risk having to pay thousands of dollars on a case decided on a reality show. While there are many reality shows that see people getting cash prizes, this is a unique one and does deflate the stakes of the show considerably.
4 The Judge Judy Participants Don’t Apply To Be On The Show
The Trip To Come On The Show Is Also Covered
It is interesting to consider that Judge Judy is like a typical daytime talk show in many ways, but its premise means it takes a different approach to some aspects. For example, unlike every other daytime talk show, those who appear on the show are not welcomed warmly as valued guests. While it’s made to look like the litigants apply to be on Judge Judy, just as is the case with any other show like this, that isn’t the case at all.
According to Radar Online, the production teams look through small claims courts for odd cases that have potential and then headhunt the litigants. They’re then sent a letter from the production crew, explaining that not only do the defendants not have to pay any of the fees if they appear on Judge Judy, as those are paid with the production budget, but it’s an all-expenses paid trip to Los Angeles for them too.
3 Judge Judy Can Be Overturned
Limitations Have Been Put On What Judge Judy Can Award
Whether or not her personality is inflated for the show, Judge Judy is a commanding authority in the series. However, even her word is subject to the rules of law. Despite the memorable Judge Judy open credits sequence claiming that “all rulings are final,” that isn’t always the case. Participants are forced to sign a waiver before their appearance that Judge Judy’s decisions are final, but in extreme cases, they have been overruled.
In 2000, a New York Family Court overruled one of her decisions, claiming that she ruled on an “issue over which the television judge did not have jurisdiction.” While this likely does not happen often given that the people found at fault do not have to pay the ordered amounts, this case had some further considerations. The case, which is outlined in American Lawyer’s Media, asserted that as an arbitrator, she had no right to award things such as visitation and custody rights, which she happened to do in order to resolve this case.
2 Judge Judy Is Briefed On Cases Before Filming
The Show Speeds Up The Arbitration Process
The questions Judge Judy asks the litigants are genuine questions that help her reach an informed decision on what the punishments should be, but that isn’t where she gets all of her information. Producers help Judy reach a fair decision by giving her some info beforehand. In an interview with The Television Academy, Judy explained that she gets a basic outline of the details of her upcoming litigations at the start of the day.
Considering real arbitrations can take much longer than they do on the show, this studying helps Judy come to quick and rational decisions. The show presents it in a much different way as if Sheindlin is getting all the information at once and making her call in the moment. It makes her seem even more impressive of a legal mind even if that depiction is glossing over the very reasonable time she puts into each case.
1 Judge Judy And Bailiff Byrd Are Strictly Work Friends
Byrd Confirmed The Extent Of Their Relationship
An underrated aspect of the series is the relationship between Judy and the courtroom bailiff, Petri Hawkins-Byrd. While Sheidlin is clearly the star of the show, he is the only one who provides another continuous aspect to the series even if it is not a big role. A bailiff is someone who keeps order in the court if things get too out of hand.
Byrd has been with Judy throughout the entire series, but their wholesome relationship is apparently strictly business. Byrd told the LA Times in a 2012 interview “We have a good working relationship, and we have friends in common, but we travel in different circles…We’re diametrically opposed on some issues.” They get along exceptionally well in the courtroom, so hearing that the two aren’t as close comes as something of a disappointment.
Another blow to those fans who might have hoped Hawkins-Byrd and Sheindlin were closer, he was not invited to join her in her spinoff series Judy Justice which Hawkins-Byrd was offended by. However, the two apparently made amends as he was invited to join her other spinoff series, Tribunal Justice.