Judge Judy does not suffer fools easily.

After she passed the New York bar exam, she became a corporate lawyer but after two years she felt that she could do more in her role as a lawyer. In 1972, she took a job as a prosecutor in family court, prosecuting juvenile crime, domestic violence, and child abuse cases. After 10 years in that position, she was appointed a criminal court judge in 1982. She presided over every imaginable example of the worst in human behavior in 13 years, and 20,000 cases later she retired in 1996. That same year, her first book was published, Don't Pee On My Leg and Tell Me It's Raining.

Every person that stands before her in 'Judge Judy's' court who is trying to fake her out, tell half the truth, make it up, stands out like a sore thumb in her eyes. I mention all of her bio info to show that she has heard it all; she knows instantly when they're peeing on her leg. She has a very low tolerance for those who are so ignorant to believe that they can get away with anything but the straight answers to her questions. But between you and me, I don't believe that she's quite as angry as she sounds because she doesn't have to hear any cases that she doesn't want to. I believe that she uses these cases and these people to educate the public when they think they're being entertained.

he show's creation stemmed from Judith_Sheindlin'sreputation as one of the most outspoken family court judges in the country, becoming the topic of a Los_Angeles_Timesarticle in February 1993. The piece caught the attention of 60_Minutes, leading to a segment about Sheindlin on the show, which brought her national recognition. This led to her being approached by television producers, who asked her to preside over her own courtroom reality show. The title of her show was originally going to be "Hot Bench." Unhappy with that title, however, Sheindlin convinced her Television_producerto change it. Although Judge Judy is the title of the show, it has also become a nickname for Judith Sheindlin.Answers.comJudy Sheindlin became the first television judge whose name was included in the title of the show. Randy Douthit and Timothy Regler are the show's Executive_producer.Answers.com

At the beginning of court proceeding, off-camera announcer http://wiki.answers.com/w/index.php?title=Jerry_Bishop&action=edit&redlink=1introduces proceedings. Sheindlin then questions the parties about dates, times, locations, and other facts central to the lawsuit. Judge Sheindlin demands decorum in her court. She will sometimes chastise participants, even audience members, for showing up in inappropriate clothing, and silence audience outbursts, even if they are in response to quips she herself made. Order is maintained by her bailiff, officer Petri Hawkins-Byrd. After this process, Sheindlin renders the judgment, either by finding for the plaintiff (typically by saying "judgment for the plaintiff in the amount of ... dollars, that's all".) or by dismissing the case (the award is not displayed on an on-screen graphic, which is rare among other shows in the genre). When a counterclaim has been filed, it will be handled during the same show segment. However if a case is Dismissed_without_prejudicedue to a factor such as Sheindlin unable to rule due to other circumstances (such as something that cannot be ruled on within the Binding_arbitrationstructure of the series), the litigants are welcome to come back and resume the case later in another episode if the outside issues are resolved.

In the first two Commercial_break, a preview of the upcoming case is shown. When the show returns from the first two commercial breaks, it airs the voice-over, "Real cases! Real people! Judge Judy!" (recorded by announcer http://wiki.answers.com/w/index.php?title=Jerry_Bishop&action=edit&redlink=1), followed by a recap of the current case. After the third commercial break, the voice-over is heard again, providing the show's telephone number and the Websiteto submit cases. Generally each show presents two cases, but infrequently an episode will present a single long case, three shorter ones, or even four shorter ones. At the end of a case, the plaintiff and the defendant express their feelings about the case, although sometimes this part of a case is omitted, especially involving contentious or removed litigants.

In order to ensure a full audience, the producers of Judge Judy hire Extra_(actor) who compose the entire gallery. Though tickets are not offered for the show, arrangements can sometimes be made with Sheindlin's production staff to allow fans of the show into the audience. Once all the cases are through, all of the audience members receive payment.Answers.comThe extras must not dress casually and no logos or brand names may be visible on their clothing. Extras are also instructed to appear as if they are having discussions with each other, before and after each case, so the bailiff may make such announcements as "Order! All rise" and "Parties are excused, you may step out".Answers.comAs far as the court cases are concerned, however, what is seen on Judge Judy is neither staged nor scripted. The plaintiffs have actually Filing_(legal) the defendants and that very case is heard and decided upon by Judith Sheindlin. The court show acquires cases by people submitting claims into them via their Websiteor Phone_number.Answers.com

The producers' employees call both parties and ask them questions about their case to make sure it is suitable for Judge Judy. If the parties agree to be on the show and sign a Waiver, agreeing that Arbitrationin Sheindlin's court is final and cannot be pursued elsewhere (unless she dismisses the lawsuit Prejudice_(legal_procedure)), their case will air on Judge Judy.Answers.comThe award limit on Judge Judy, as on most 'syndi-court' shows (and most small claims courts in the U.S.), is $5,000. The award for each judgment is paid by the producers of the show, from a fund reserved for each case. About 40 percent of the cases are money judgments, while the remaining 60 percent are either Dismissedor there is an order for an exchange of property.Answers.com

Both the Plaintiffand the Defendantreceive http://wiki.answers.com/wiki/$100for their appearance as well as $35 a day, paid to them by the show. The litigants' stay lasts for the number of days that the show does taping for that week, which is two or three days.Answers.comAnswers.comIn addition, the Airfare(or other means of travel) and Hotelexpenses of the litigants and their Witnessare covered by the show. If there is an exchange of property, Sheindlin signs an order and a Sheriffor Marshaloversees the exchange.Answers.comThere are no Lawyerpresent and participants defend themselves on Judge Judy, as is standard in a small claims court. Sheindlin sees only a half-page complaint and a defense response prior to the taping of the cases, sometimes only moments before.Answers.comMost of the cases, without any footage deleted to meet the time constraints of the show, usually last anywhere from twelve to forty-five minutes.Answers.comAnswers.com

Three days every other week (two weeks a month), Sheindlin and her producers tape the court show.Answers.comThey usually produce ten to twelve cases for each day they tape the show. A week's worth of episodes consists of approximately ten cases. Anywhere from thirty to thirty-six cases are filmed over the three days they tape per week.Answers.comHowever, Sheindlin and her producers sometimes only tape five cases per day and two days per week.Answers.comAnswers.comThe show has fifty-two taping days a year. For each season, some 650 claims are brought to the set to be presided over by Judge Judy.Answers.comThis means approximately 8,450 claims have been brought to Judy Sheindlin's Hollywoodset as of the end of its thirteenth season (2008-09).

For the most part, cases are taped all throughout the year except for two breaks Sheindlin and all of the members of her show have for the year. One of the two breaks includes an extra week off in December, as the show is only taped one week out of that month because of the holidays. The other break is from mid-July (only taping one week in July) and all through August. According to members of the show, the reason for this break is because people are more interested in taking vacations than in filing lawsuits around that time.Answers.com

Altogether, there are 260 new Episodeper season of Judge Judy. There's at least one new episode for every weekday, with the exception of a few Hiatus_(television) during most of the summer and a couple of holidays.Answers.comThe cases are all pre-recorded for Film_editingpurposes and will usually air one to three months after being taped. The cases are mixed up and not shown in order of when they were recorded.Answers.comWhile the cases taped in March end the seasons, the cases taped throughout April, May, June, and July start out each season in September and last through the beginning of November.Answers.comThroughout the very beginning of each season, two new Judge Judy episodes air per day. After two weeks, it shortens down to one new airing a day, followed by a repeat afterwards. There are also various other moments throughout the year where two new episodes are shown for a few weeks. This usually includes January, when the show returns from its short winter hiatus. Two new episodes are also shown daily during the "sweeps" months of November, February, and May. Unlike most Television_show, Judge Judy does not air its Season_finalein April or May. Rather, it will air its last few new episodes sporadically over the summer months, with many repeats in between, and its season finale taking place some time in July or August.

Judge Judy tapes at the KTLAproduction studios, now known as Sunset Bronson Studios as of early 2008, on Sunset_Boulevard, in Los_Angeles, California.Answers.comEvery other week, Sheindlin flies out on her private jet to tape Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.Answers.comThe Judge Judy set is directly beside the Judge_Joe_Brownset, in the same studios. Both shows are produced by Big_Ticket_Entertainment.Answers.comThe two shows alternate taping weeks.

Despite its California location, the show displays various images of New_York_Cityupon returning from commercial breaks, including a subway train that is passing by the camera which reads World_Trade_Center, but is only noticeable if the footage is paused. It also features the phrases "State of New York" and "Family Court" (Sheindlin was previously a New York family court judge)Answers.comwithin the Letterboxused going to and from breaks since the ninth season. The set features a Flag_of_New_Yorkbehind Sheindlin's seat. Furthermore, the title sequence features Judge Judy posing in white robes with light emanating from a raised hand, evoking the Statue_of_Libertyand therefore New York City (though it should be noted that Judge Judy is actually posing as Lady_Justice, as evidenced by the blindfold over her eyes and the weighing scale suspended from her left hand). Immediately before each episode, the Judge Judy version of Lady Justice is shown lifting the blindfold of neutrality to greet the audience with a mischievous and alluring Wink.

In the past, the show changed very little from season to season. The show's music and graphics are the only thing that have changed repeatedly over its past fourteen years. The ninth season (2004-05) is one of the few seasons in which the show made a major alteration; the Judge Judy intro had been changed drastically. A jazzed version of a theme from Ludwig_van_BeethovenSymphony_No._5_(Beethoven) was adopted as the new theme music. For its scenes, Judge Judy is shown in a different courtroom from her own (part of a proposed renovation to the courtroom but was rejected by Sheindlin for being too dark), approaching the camera, followed by folding her arms, and smiling at the camera. This is followed by showing various scenes of her presiding over different cases.

Before the ninth season, the show used an original tune for their theme music. Various versions of this original tune were used, as the song was altered every few seasons. Used as the scenes for the theme song before the ninth season, was a Computer_animatedapproaching scene towards a Courthouse, up until that scene entered into the courthouse. From there, several shots of Sheindlin presiding over different cases were displayed, moving from one side to the other. Those shots developed into the courthouse Logothat represents her program (this symbol is always displayed inside of the Letter_(alphabet) D, in Judy), by the end of the Theme_music. Before these scenes, there was a scene of the courthouse symbol that represents her program, over a green background. Shots of Sheindlin, presiding over different cases, flew into the scene and moved into each of the square-shaped designs of the courthouse, correspondingly. Each show is introduced by announcer Jerry Bishop with the statement: "You are about to enter the courtroom of Judge Judith Sheindlin. The people are real. The cases are real. The rulings are final. This is her courtroom. This is Judge Judy."

The colors that represent the show have altered several times over the years. The first couple of seasons of Judge Judy were represented by the colors Sea_greenand Saffron_(color). Blueand saffron represented the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth seasons. Since the ninth season, the various graphics on the show have been Falu_redand saffron. As of the twelfth season, Prussian_bluehad been added to the show's Color_schemefor the opening previews of each episode. Season thirteen saw the Judge Judy logo's colours change from what they once were just before the case began. As Of February 2010. The opening previews colours and logo have changed.

The only changes made to the Judge Judy set were all mostly made in the early seasons of the show, which includes: the wooding that takes up most of the courtroom was a much lighter shade of brown in the beginning of the series; the wall behind Judge Judy did not always have the shiny surface it has now, with the black and dark brown color mixture (it used to be plain brown); the fake window display along the sides of the courtroom has gone from displaying designs, to going plain and only showing whiteness, to displaying the current scene of fake buildings; the carpeting was light pink in the beginning of the series; there were two different podiums that were replaced by the two currently used podiums; altogether, Sheindlin has had four different chairs throughout the show's existence. She had three smaller chairs before she got her current chair. Her very first chair was Persian_blue, and her second chair was Hunter_greenwith diagonal square designs. Sheindlin's third chair was similar to her current chair, only with a lower back behind her shoulders. Though these chairs had low backs, they were all still executive chairs. They were replaced early on by the traditional, executive chair she has been sitting in for the majority of the show's existence. The chair is button-tufted, with a high back and thick padding. It is a Burgundy_(color) leather chair. The white Cathode_ray_tubemonitor at the computer desk since the first season has been replaced by a black Liquid_crystal_displaymonitor as of early January 2010.

Judge Judy is known for being strict towards either the Defendantor the Plaintiff. If the litigants attempt to lie, or deviate from directly answering her questions she is known to become impatient. Because of her straightforwardness of expression and impatience in making litigants get to the point, to keep them from wasting time on irrelevant and unimportant details, Judith Sheindlin is well-known as a no-nonsense Jurist. Combining those qualities with her swift handling of many of the matters brought up throughout the course of each Legal_proceedings, Judge Judy is touted as, "A show where justice is dispensed at the speed of light."Answers.com

Disbelieving many of the questionable affirmations of the parties that appear before her, Lieis the main problem that the incredulous Judith Sheindlin has with both Litigantsand their Witness. In fact, one of her most popular Catchphrasesis "Baloney!", and she is also convinced that "If something doesn't make sense, it's usually not true."

Of all her characteristics, Judge Judy is noted most for her very tough, but fair attitude. If a plaintiff files an unreasonable Complaint, Judge Judy may tell him or her to "get over it." Judge Judy also tends to be highly irascible generally towards both parties that appear before her, mostly in her startling explosions at litigants who speak out of turn, try to argue with her, or ramble. Sheindlin often makes such remarks as "I'm speaking!," "Liar, liar, pants on fire," "Sir, you want to say something to me? You sure you want to say something to me?", and "You mess around with me young lady, I'll wipe the floor with you. We follow each other?" In fact, the show's Taglineis Justice with an Attitude.Answers.comShe has explicitly stated that she sometimes sets out to cause embarrassment "in front of ten million people", to someone who has acted badly, as a way of punishing them. Though Sheindlin has a sense of humor as well, it's normally presented in combination with her gruff disposition. In fact even for reactions to her own humor, she will often say something along the lines of "Hey!" to an audience member who is being too noisy and has occasionally had particularly disruptive audience members removed.

Sheindlin has many Catchphrase, which are referred to as "Judyisms."Answers.comMany of these Judyisms are intended to provide a lesson, such as "Beauty fades, dumb is forever." Judge Judy has stated that the main message she wants viewers to take from her show, is that people must take responsibility for their own actions.Answers.comAnswers.com

Judge Judy went on the air in September 1996. By the end of October of that year, the show was averaging only a 1.5 rating, putting it in the midrank of the 159 syndicated shows on the air. At that time, it was never expected that the show's Nielsen_ratingswould ever compete with highly successful daytime TV shows, such as Wheel_of_Fortune_(U.S._game_show), The_Oprah_Winfrey_Show, and the now cancelled Rosie_O'Donnell_Show.Answers.comAccording to Sheindlin's Biography, producers of her show were disappointed that the show was barely making it on the radar. However, it didn't take long for Judge Judy to pick up momentum, as the show rose to a 2.1 rating by the end of that first season. By the end of the second season (1997-98), the court show had already risen into the 4 ranges, as stated in Judy Sheindlin's Biographyvideo.

Judge Judy's ratings more than doubled to 5.6 for her third season (1998-99), making her show an early success. This led to the creation of Judge_Mills_Lane(lasting four seasons) and Judge_Joe_Brown(into its tenth season as of 2007), both are also by Paramount Television. In fact, it was because of her impressive ratings that year that The_People's_Courtproducers decided to replace Ed_Kochwith Judge Judy's husband, Jerry_Sheindlin. However, he lasted only two years on The People's Court,from 1999 to 2001, before being replaced by Marilyn_Milian.Answers.com

During her fourth season (1999-00), Judy's ratings exploded, peaking at a 9.3, just as Judge_Mathiswas created, and Divorce_Courtwas revived; both court shows, having made it to their ninth seasons as of the 2007-08 season. Because of Judge Judy's success, the court show aired at better time periods. At that point, Sheindlin's show was even surpassing the Oprah Winfrey Show (King_World_Productionswhich launched Oprah was a corporate sibling of CBS_Television_Studios, which distributed Judge Judy). Not only was Judge Judy reported as the top-rated court show, but the top-rated daytime TV show at this point.Answers.com

Over the next three years, however, the ratings for Judge Judy declined. This decline started in the court show's fifth season (2000-01) and lasted through its seventh season (2002-03). Sheindlin finally reversed this downward turn when her ratings average increased to a 7.1 for her eighth season (2003-04). Of the seven running court shows during the 2004-05 season, most of them earned a 3.63 rating. All of them, that is, except for Judge Judy, which pulled in a 7.8 rating for that season (the show's ninth). For her tenth season (2005-06), Judge Judy averaged a 4.8 rating.Answers.comCourt show ratings for the 2006-07 season: Judge Judy averaged 4.6 rating for her eleventh season; Judge Joe Brown averaged a 2.9 rating; The People's Court averaged a 2.7; Judge Mathis averaged a 2.4; Divorce Court averaged a 2.0; Judge_Alexaveraged 1.9; Judge_Hatchettaveraged a 1.5; rookies--Cristina's_Courtaveraged a 1.4, and Judge_Maria_Lopezcame in last, averaging a 1.0 rating.Answers.comJudge Judy producer Randy Douthit says that "they are guilty of cannibalizing each other. Most of these court shows are lucky to get above a 1 rating today."Answers.com

As of the early to mid stages of the show's twelfth season, the ratings for Judge Judy have been located in the four to five range. The court show averaged a 4.4 for its premiere week of September 10, 2007.Answers.comIt scored the same numbers for the following week of September 16. For both weeks of September 24 and September 30, Judge Judy averaged a 4.6 rating.Answers.comAnswers.comThe court show finished out the week of October 7 with a two percent increase in its ratings, averaging a 4.7.Answers.comFor the week of October 14, nearly every court show remained the same or fell in ratings except for Judge Judy, which rose two percent once again, averaging a 4.8.Answers.comThe following week of October 21 ended with yet another two percent gain for the court show, as Judge Judy averaged a 4.9 rating.Answers.comThe week of October 28 saw Judy's ratings up two percent more, at a 5.0.Answers.comFor the week of November 4, however, Sheindlin's ratings decreased six percent, averaging a 4.7.Answers.comIn conjunction with the following week of November 11, Judge Judy elevated 8%, averaging a 5.1 rating.Answers.comFor the week of November 18, Judge Judy's ratings lowered 2% to a 5.0.Answers.comFor the week of November 25, Judge Judy sunk 2% again, averaging a 4.9 rating.Answers.comFor the week of January 13, Judge Judy averaged a 5.3 rating.Answers.comFor the week of January 27, Judge Judy averaged a 5.6 season-high rating.Answers.com

The ratings for Judge Judy have made it one of the top ten syndicated daytime television shows. As of the early to mid stages of its twelfth season, the show's rankings has fallen mostly in fourth place among daytime television shows. In relation to the 2007-08 Television_season, Judge Judy is the only syndicated show to increase in ratings over the previous Season.Answers.com

Judge Judy is reportedly watched by ten million people daily.Answers.comJudge Judy's daytime audience is composed of approximately seventy-five percent Womenand twenty-five percent Men.Answers.com

In Australia, Judge Judy is seen by a daily average of 275,000 viewers Answers.com, and has been measured to increase up to around 330,000 Answers.comin its daily 3pm time slot on free to air network Channel_Ten.

One of Sheindlin's critics is Joseph_Wapner, who was the first Celebrityof reality courtroom shows. He presided over The_People's_Courtfrom 1981 to 1993. On November 26, 2002, Joseph Wapner criticized Judge Judy's courtroom behavior, stating, "She is not portraying a judge as I view a judge should act. Judge Judy is discourteous, and she's abrasive. She's not slightly insulting. She's insulting in capital letters." Judge Judy replied through her publicist, stating, "I refuse to engage in similar mud slinging. I don't know where or by whom Judge Wapner was raised. But my parents taught me when you don't have something nice to say about someone, say nothing. Clearly, Judge Wapner was absent on the day that lesson was taught." Since then, Wapner has stated, "She is a disgrace to the profession. She does things I don't think a judge should do. She tells people to shut up. She's rude. She's arrogant. She demeans people. If she does this on purpose, then that's even worse. Judges need to observe certain standards of conduct. She just doesn't do it and I resent that. The public is apt to gain the impression that this is how actual judges conduct themselves. It says 'judge' on the nameplate on the bench and she's wearing a robe."Answers.com

While the cases on Judge Judy are actual small claims court cases, the show is not a court of law, but rather an arbitration, and all parties must sign contracts agreeing to arbitration under Sheindlin. Even this status has been disputed: in Doo Wop Shoppe Ltd. v. Ralph Edwards, syndi-court justice was determined not to be an actual form of arbitration because a third party pays part of the cost of the judgment. This decision was subsequently overturned.