Just what is going on in those chambers? Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most interesting or head-scratching “Judge Judy” secrets.
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00:00 I'm very pleased. She's my hero. I love her.
00:02 Welcome to Miss Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most interesting or head-scratching Judge Judy secrets.
00:10 I really don't need you to approve of me.
00:12 I'm sorry.
00:13 10 million people approve of me.
00:15 Number 10. Not filmed in New York.
00:19 Judge Judy Shineland is nothing if not a true New Yorker.
00:23 Long-time viewers know the show's iconic main title sequence features the Statue of Liberty, among other city landmarks.
00:30 You are about to enter the courtroom of Judge Judith Shineland.
00:35 This is Judge Judy.
00:38 But Judge Judy wasn't filmed anywhere near New York City.
00:41 Like so many other shows, it was filmed on a studio backlot in Hollywood.
00:46 Judge Judy may not be scripted, but the show is well-orchestrated.
00:49 Its home base was the Sunset Bronson Studios, also known as the Old Warner Brothers Studio,
00:55 which is a century-old lot that's been in use since the silent era.
00:59 Shineland would just fly out for filming each month, then return to one of her many homes.
01:04 This made it more of a courtroom set rather than an actual courtroom.
01:08 When the litigants enter this courtroom, they better have their A-game,
01:11 because once they go up against Judge Judy, they know she's gonna have her A-game.
01:16 When will the lies end, Judy?
01:18 9. Judge Judy wanted to host The People's Court
01:21 When The People's Court was looking to replace its long-time arbitrator,
01:25 Judge Joseph Wapner, Shineland threw her hat in the ring.
01:28 She called up the studios responsible for the show and told them she was ready to take over.
01:33 "I just picked up the phone and called and I said to whoever answered the phone,
01:36 I said, 'Did you ever think about doing a dis-staff People's Court with a lady judge?'
01:41 The woman said to me, 'Lady, we're packing up here. This show is over. Goodbye.' And she hung up."
01:47 But Judge Judy wasn't a household name yet.
01:50 Her generous offer to step in as host was ignored if not seen as a little deranged.
01:55 Who knew she would go on to become a dynamo in her daytime court shows?
01:59 "Where do you think you are? You think you're on Springer? You're not!"
02:02 Besides, The People's Court wouldn't have suited her.
02:05 It's Judy's court, thank you very much.
02:08 Interestingly enough, it was her husband, Judge Jerry Shindlin,
02:11 who would host the revival of that series.
02:14 "That's what you're getting for a total of just $362.60. That's judgment in favor of the plaintiff.
02:21 Thank you very much."
02:22 Number 8. Case details were sent ahead of time.
02:25 Before every case, Judge Shindlin had to be briefed on the details, evidence, and documents submitted.
02:32 "Mr. Glavin, I read your complaint about two years ago. You and the defendant moved in together
02:37 and you bought a television set. And you split the cost of the television."
02:41 So how did she find the time? Well, not only did she get all the info before the cases,
02:47 but she got them well in advance of the shooting dates.
02:50 All the files were shipped to her home for her perusal.
02:53 "They're busy all the time doing what they do expertly, which is preparing the cases
03:00 and getting me the complaint, the answer, and the countersuit, which I get by FedEx."
03:06 However, Shindlin had been quoted saying she didn't like to get too bogged down by
03:10 the details of a case, so she'd read them once, put them away,
03:15 then show up on the day of taping with fresh eyes and ears.
03:18 "Let me see if I understand the nature of your complaint. Mr. Walbridge and his family
03:25 rented a house that you own in a rent-to-own arrangement, correct?"
03:30 "Yes, that is correct."
03:31 Number 7. At least one of the cases was fake.
03:34 Judge Judy has aired some pretty bizarre cases over the years.
03:38 "I'm tired of people taking things that don't belong to them. She's a flight,
03:41 thinking they can get away with it. She lied, thinks she's just the kind of person that's
03:45 a taker, and that's all I have to say. And just wants to get something for nothing."
03:48 Viewers wouldn't be out of line to think some were exaggerated, if not flat-out made up.
03:54 While the producers did aim to present real cases with real people,
03:58 sometimes a few phonies slipped through the cracks.
04:01 "I have to tell you, Mr. West, before we start, sir, I'm skeptical about your case."
04:06 Producers wouldn't have much of a show if they had just been writing the cases,
04:11 so that's not what happened here. The show actually paid all damages to incentivize litigants
04:16 to settle their case on the show. So on one occasion, it was revealed that a pair of litigants
04:21 had completely fabricated a story about a cat being crushed by a TV.
04:26 "Because we only smash stuff outside."
04:27 "He's an artist."
04:28 "We don't smash stuff inside, but we love smashing stuff. Gotta say we do."
04:32 "Don't trust people anymore. I don't know."
04:34 "That's ridiculous."
04:35 "It's really ridiculous, obviously."
04:37 "I feel like my whole life is ridiculous, yeah."
04:39 Whether the producers failed to vet them or they just let the case go forward because
04:43 it was just that entertaining is unclear.
04:46 Number 6. Paid Crowd
04:48 Courtrooms are open to the public. However, the set of Judge Judy was not run like a standard
04:54 court. The audience was not made up of average, everyday people off the street.
04:58 "What public servant did you assault?"
05:00 "Police officer, ma'am."
05:01 "Shh, shh. Listen, I don't need any help from you."
05:05 The producers hired them through a special service that acquires
05:08 extras from pools of aspiring actors. They were paid to watch Shindeland hear cases and
05:14 dole out her sassy witticisms. Even a stray celebrity or two has made it into her audience.
05:19 "You claim the defendant stole them."
05:22 "Yes."
05:23 "And the defendant will tell me that he was present the evening of the first."
05:28 "Yes."
05:29 "Until what time?"
05:30 "I actually waited until the first bus came the next morning, which was at 5 a.m."
05:34 But if you think being in Judge Judy's gallery isn't a day's work, you'd be dead wrong. The
05:40 audience was just as vulnerable to her temper as the litigants testifying in front of her.
05:45 "Out. Did you hear what I said? You know who I'm looking at. You got my eyes? Blue, black, out.
05:52 Out."
05:53 "Yeah."
05:55 "It would be you. Out. Just go."
05:59 You just better hope your laugh doesn't irritate her.
06:02 5. Officer Bird and Judge Judy worked together in real life
06:06 The rapport between the judge and her trusted bailiff, Petrie Hawkins-Bird,
06:10 is off the charts hilarious. Sometimes their brief interactions are the best part of an episode.
06:16 "And what did you say to her when she gave you the money?"
06:18 "I'll holler at you later."
06:19 "I'll holler at you later."
06:21 "Could you translate that for me?"
06:24 "Um, he said I'll call you later."
06:28 So it's probably not all that surprising to learn that not only was Judge Judy a real judge,
06:33 but Officer Bird was a real bailiff. In fact,
06:36 he was her bailiff when she worked in the Manhattan Family Court system.
06:40 "When I was a court officer in New York, that's where I originally met her. And then I moved out
06:45 to California in 1990 and I left law enforcement. I was working as a high school counselor."
06:52 While the two seem like buddies on screen, and though Bird clearly respects her,
06:56 he explained in appearances after the show finished airing that the two were simply
07:00 good co-workers more than they were friends.
07:03 "I can only say we're friendly. But I haven't had dinner over her house,
07:08 we haven't gone out for lunch in 25 years."
07:12 4. The losers didn't have to pay
07:15 There's nothing more satisfying than watching a litigant have to pay what they owe.
07:19 "Judgment for the plaintiff in the amount of $1,500. That gives you $2,200 to clean up the
07:24 mess. We're done, thank you." Some were even ordered to pay the small
07:27 claims court cap of $5,000. However, on Judge Judy, they didn't have to sweat it too much.
07:34 Like many other court shows, production actually paid the judgment.
07:37 "The production company pays whatever the settlement is, right?"
07:41 "Production company will pay the judgment if there is a judgment."
07:44 In fact, both parties came away with some extra money in appearance fees,
07:49 flights to and from Los Angeles, and a hotel stay. Sounds like going on Judge Judy might be a sure
07:55 fire way to win some cash, get a paid vacation, and avoid dishing out money you actually owe.
08:00 That is, if you don't mind the public humiliation. In some cases, though,
08:05 Judge Judy threatened to withhold these perks from particularly uncooperative litigants.
08:10 "If you want us to pay for your return ticket, or anything else, or anything else,
08:17 because we have a contract." "Yes, your honor."
08:21 "You and this program, you abide by my decision, or we do a zippity-doo-dah for you,
08:27 including getting you home."
08:28 3. No real court power Although she did have a career as a judge,
08:34 that wasn't her actual capacity on the show. "Try to speak as if you're in a courtroom,
08:39 articulately, slowly, not like you're talking to a friend, because I'm not your friend."
08:44 On the set of Judge Judy, she was acting as an arbitrator. Her verdicts were not true legal
08:49 judgments in the traditional sense. It's not necessarily her decision itself that's ultimately
08:54 being abided, but the contract that binds the appearing litigants to respect that decision.
09:00 "And the people sign what is called a binding arbitration.
09:03 So they agree to be bound by whatever decision I make."
09:06 If anything, it's actually harder to overturn or appeal a case decided by arbitration,
09:12 because it's a private contract and not a traditional court case.
09:16 "If I dismiss a case, it's dismissed for all purposes, and the plaintiff loses.
09:21 If I dismiss a counterclaim, it's dismissed for all purposes. So that's how it's done."
09:26 Still, that didn't stop one judge in a family court from overturning one of
09:30 Shineland's decisions in a custody dispute where she had no jurisdiction.
09:34 2. How the show found its litigants Yes, there was a call for cases at the
09:39 end of the show and a submission form on the official website, but Judge Judy's cases were
09:44 generally found by the show's elite team of researchers.
09:48 "I'm gonna get to the rest of the facts of the case because you didn't finish paying for the
09:51 car. I'm gonna get to the facts of the case in a minute. I'm not finished with you about
09:55 other people's time." Scouring the country's court system for
09:59 possible cases, they were responsible for compiling the most compelling small claims
10:03 court cases and sending them on to producers. "What were the allegations in that application
10:09 for an order of protection?" "She claimed I threatened to
10:12 stab her in the back with a knife." Very few, even as low as 3 percent of these
10:17 cases were even fit to move forward for consideration. Considering how boring this
10:21 work must be, it's no wonder how many of these litigants have a prior relationship.
10:26 It makes for more natural drama than a relatively uninteresting dispute between
10:31 two strangers over something minor. "My problem is with you is you're a lousy
10:35 daughter. Because I just..." "Hold up, your honor, no, I'm sorry.
10:39 Because I just..." "No, this woman abandoned me when I was
10:43 three years old. She didn't come back in my life until I was 48 years old."
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11:02 1. Judge Judy only worked five days a month
11:06 It's no secret that Judy Shindlin is filthy rich.
11:09 "You make all this money, you live in Venice, you live in Jackson Hole, you live in Connecticut,
11:16 you have a private plane." But how much does she work to make
11:19 those literal millions of dollars? Well, during her time on Judge Judy, this was apparently five
11:25 days a month. Outlining her work week in an interview, she said she flew out to LA every
11:31 other Monday and was usually finished by Wednesday or Thursday.
11:34 "I work Tuesday and Wednesday, or Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday."
11:37 In one shooting day, she'd get through an entire week's worth of content.
11:42 Still, with wall-to-wall cases and people who don't want to pay what they owe,
11:46 it's no wonder she was always going on about her lunchtime.
11:49 "Correct. And if it's not true, I get annoyed. And you don't want to get me annoyed,
11:52 especially before lunch." Which of these behind-the-scenes
11:55 facts surprised you the most? Tell us in the comments.
11:58 "How old are you?" "22."
12:00 "22. That means when I started to be a star, you were still pooping in your pants."
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