As a judge, she often showed sympathy for the oppressed. It`s binding arbitration – both parties agree to do whatever it says. If you`re in the US, you`ve probably agreed to something similar (minus the TV show part) if you have an account with Microsoft (section 10 of their terms of service), Sony`s PlayStation Network (section 18 of their terms of service), Nintendo (various sections of their various terms of service), Verizon (section titled How to resolve disputes with Verizon Wireless), AT&T (the related section) and many others. Arbitration involves submitting a dispute to an impartial person for a final and binding decision. It is supposed to be a cheaper and faster way to resolve disputes than going to court. In fact, Judith Sheindlin is not currently a judge in a court. (Previously, she served as a supervising judge in New York State Family Court.) Their highly rated TV show features a form of alternative dispute resolution called binding arbitration. Justice Judy acts as an arbitrator in a television studio. Although the studio looks like a real courtroom, it is not part of a federal, state, or local judicial district/county. Since Justice Judy presides over a television studio instead of a real courtroom, she is generally not bound by rules of evidence, civil procedure, jurisprudence or ethics. At the time of sentencing, Justice Judy had been on the air for nearly 19 years, representing 4,500 episodes and “over 9,000 cases heard.” At this point, Sheindlin is still running his mock courtroom, and with Judge Joe Brown being set aside in 2013 after 15 seasons, it`s unlikely that any other television judge will come close to his record. Although Justice Judith Sheindlin once presided over a New York courtroom, her role on television is technically that of an arbitrator, reports The Consumerist. This also applies to other television jurors.
It was partly as a result of this early success that daytime television began to broadcast more court programming, such as a revival of The People`s Court, which debuted in the fall of 1997. In 1999, Justice Judy moved from Worldvision Enterprises to Paramount Domestic Television, which also distributed her stablemate, Judge Joe Brown and eventually Judge Mills Lane. Many other retired judges have had their own judicial shows in syndication, largely because of Sheindlin`s popularity. These include Greg Mathis, Glenda Hatchett, Alex Ferrer, Maria Lopez, Karen Mills-Frances, Cristina Perez, David Young and many more. In addition, the series has contributed to the production of various non-traditional farmer programs. These include the revival of Divorce Court, originally led by Mablean Ephriam from 1999 to 2006 and Lynn Toler from 2006 to 2020 and now led by Faith Jenkins; the short-term power of attorney that arrests various prominent lawyers who litigate cases before Andrew Napolitano; Street Court, which argued outside the courtroom; Jury Duty, with a leading jury that hears cases presided over by Bruce Cutler; etc. In addition, Justice Judy`s role in the growing popularity of daytime court broadcasts has allowed several other non-real judges to preside over courts, such as Nancy Grace, Jeanine Pirro and Gloria Allred. The defendants and plaintiffs appearing before Justice Judith Sheindlin are neither subpoenaed nor sought.
All of this is handled by the honourable judge`s producers. According to a letter obtained by Radar Online, they are chasing small claims courts for cases that would be fun for the rest of the country to see on television. In the letter, producer Julie Turner lures a defendant to take his case to Judge Judy with the promise of appearing on television, because what better setting to settle a personal matter than in front of millions of strangers? In real life, justice takes time. In the case of a true small claim, the process begins with an initial court appearance, where the judge usually tells the parties to make more efforts to resolve the issue or to see a mediator. If they still cannot find a solution, the court will schedule a hearing at a later date.