The Judge Who Captivates America

One of the most popular shows on television, Judge Judy, is now in its 19th year and at Pacific Stardard, Rebecca Buckwalter-Poza examines why Judith Sheindlin, who earns an annual salary of $47 million, is so beloved and how her show is produced:

Judge Judy can be showy, but rarely gratuitously so, and she’s smart — and doesn’t let anyone forget it. In a given case, Judge Judy might paraphrase Mark Twain (“If you tell the truth, you don’t have to have a good memory; if you lie, you’re always tripping over your own tie”) or offer a common-sense connection to her own life (“The toilet broke while she was using it — that doesn’t mean that she broke it, and it doesn’t mean that she’s responsible for it! Toilets break — I had one just break in my apartment last week!”). Most satisfyingly, she tells it like it is: “Consider yourself having been reasonably humiliated in front of 10 million people. Now, without saying another word, turn around, and find the exit. Goodbye.”

Sheindlin’s persona is key to the show’s success, but so are the cases themselves. Judge Judy chooses cases that resonate with her audience. The most pervasive forms of injustice affecting Americans rarely get investigated, much less prosecuted, by the state; they’re “little” things: a dented car door, an unreturned security deposit, or an unfair asset split after a bad break-up. Citizens can usually only take action by bringing suit in small claims courts, navigating the complicated court system on their own. These courts hear lawsuits for claims that fall under a certain dollar amount that varies by state, from $10,000 in California to $5,000 in North Carolina; plaintiffs and defendants usually represent themselves.

According to Buckwalter-Poza’s piece, the show employs as many as 65 researchers to access small claims filings and figure out which ones would make good television (one producer has an affinity to claims involving relationships — girlfriend-boyfriend, father-son, sister-sister, etc.).

My watchings of Judge Judy have previously been during days when I stayed sick from home since it normally runs in the daytime television slots. I’d be lying on the couch, changing the channels, looking for something to keep my interest, and then Judith Sheindlin would appear. “Sit down! Not interested!” she exclaims. And I am drawn in.

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