Is Judge Judy A Real Judge?

Have you ever asked yourself “is Judge Judy a real judge?” Chances are you have seen an episode of Judge Judy on TV, starting with the unforgettable “All rise for the honorable Judge Judy!” Her role as it appears on TV is a small claims court judge that happens to be televising her proceedings. So this brings us to the question, “is Judge Judy a real judge?” Although Judge Judy has served as a real judge in a New York court, her television show is actually arbitration. Arbitration can be defined as two parties coming to a legal expert mediator, and signing on an agreement that states what arbitrator decides on the matter is final. This kind of resolution is only used for small legal matters like domestic disputes and small sums of money under $5,000. Another difference from real court to TV court is that most of the time the defendants and plaintiffs don’t actually have to pay anything to the other party. The television show producers would pay if Judge Judy ruled in the plaintiff’s favor, not the defendant. If she ruled in the defendant’s favor, both parties still get an appearance payment, as well as free travel and board. So when asking, “is Judge Judy a real judge?” the answer could be yes since she has served as a real judge, but her TV show is not a real courtroom as her role in the show is an arbitrator, not a judge. The last factor when considering, “is Judge Judy a real judge?” is whether or not her decisions can be overruled. The answer to that is simple, yes. Although it is common practice to not appeal or overturn an arbitrator’s decision, if the case falls outside of arbitration jurisdiction then it can be considered invalid. An example of this would be when Judge Jeffrey, a Brooklyn court judge, ruled that a television judge such as Judge Judy does not have jurisdiction to rule on a case that involved child custody and child support payments. When everything is accumulated the answer to, “is Judge Judy a real judge?” is no, she is not a real judge, and her TV show is not a real courtroom. 

Wayne Cohen, DC car accident lawyer
Cohen & Cohen, P.C.
202-600-9627