Judy Vs. The Internet
Big Ticket Television and producers of the Judge Judy program both filed a lawsuit in October 2013, against Ignacio De Los Angeles. Why? It was because of an individual who had posted Judge Judy episodes on YouTube.
Big Ticket Television had asked Ignacio to take down the episodes from 2006. Ignacio did not comply and the lawsuit came to be.
Side Conversations
The audience has to keep up appearances when the cameras are on. They even have to make fake conversations before and after hearing a case to show interest and concern about the goings on.
It's all for show so when the bailiff calls out, "Order! All rise," he has something to put in order and people to command.
In The Beginning
Judge Judy has now been on air for almost a quarter of a century. The People's Court had only just been cancelled when Judge Judy came on air in 1996 to fill the void it left behind for reality court drama.
It was quite a void, and Judge Judy has been holding the television world up since the beginning.
In The Timing
Many of the cases that Judge Judy hears are short and sweet. Most cases run between 12 and 45 minutes in total.
That's not terribly long, especially for defendants who are personally invested in the outcome. So much drama for so few minutes.
A Live Studio Audience
The audience is real, but they are only so lively. For real fans it's not surprising to see some of the same people seated to watch a Judge Judy case. These real live people are also well-paid extras, who hope one day to go into acting themselves. They get $8 a day to sit and watch Judge Judy work.
Any extra who wants to sit and look interested have to email their contact information and a headshot to the show's production coordinator.