Other Cash
Defendants and Plaintiffs both receive appearance fees for being on the show, so no one goes home empty handed, no matter who wins the case. The appearance fee can vary and has been rumored to be anything from $100 to $500.
They also get paid per day they appear on the show, usually reported between $35 and $440.
Hollywood Stars
Judge Judy was immortalized in Hollywood in 2006, receiving her own star on the Hollywood walk of fame. Her star was the 2304th star to be added to the famed walk.
It was given out to the judge right around the show's 10th anniversary. The show has now been around twice as long as the star.
In Production
Before arriving on set, Judge Sheindlin does not go unprepared! Producers will FedEx the sworn statements and all relevant information on each upcoming case to her home. She familiarizes herself with some details to provide background, but not enough information so that the case doesn’t seem “fresh” when she first questions the litigants during filming.
She doesn't want to seem stale when she begins her questioning during production.
White Privilege
In January of 2018 Judge Mathis claimed in an interview that Judge Judy benefited from white female privilege for all her success. Mathis cannot claim the same. He said in particular, During a January 2018 interview, “I tried to be like Judge Judy. And she was mean all the time. And then ultimately [my] producers said, ‘Well, no, an older white woman can talk to white folks like that, but a young black man can’t.’ So I learned that lesson early on.
White folks love to see black people sing and dance and crack jokes. They do not want you to be too serious and political.”
Imitated But Never Duplicated
The People's Court, Divorce Court, they've all come and gone, trying to be Judge Judy and more, but no one has ever been able to keep up. Judy has outlived all her imitators. Judge Judy now holds the Guinness World Record for longest running television show in the court genre.
It doesn't look like anyone is likely to take that crown away for a long time.