This TAW is most known for her no nonsense personality. I know I’ve spent many a sick day watching her brutal honesty and swift judgment on CBS. Can you name this TAW?
She’s Judith Sheindlin, better known as Judge Judy!
So, a few weeks ago, I thought I knew everything about Judge Judy. “Tough cookie” pretty much sums up my previous conception of her. But, after doing some research (yes, research), I quickly found that JJS is pretty…well…awesome.
When I started my research, I wasn’t even sure Judge Judy was an actual judge. Not only did I find out that she is in fact an arbitrator, but she has also had a lengthy and impressive career.
Judge Judy first began her legal path at American University’s Washington College of Law where she was the only woman in her class. However, she later transferred and earned her J.D. from New York Law School. Judith Sheindlin was admitted to the New York Bar in the 1960s (FYI-many lawyers consider the NY bar to be one of, if not “the”, hardest bar exams in the states). She eventually became a prosecutor in family court and later a judge.
Judge Judy actually retired in the early 1990s but was subsequently asked to do a TV series and thus, one of the most watched daytime shows was born.
I recognize that most people don’t nerd out quite as much as I do when I am thinking about the law. So, what is it about the show that attracts viewers? The answer is clear: Judge Judy herself. Her wits as well as her willingness to call people on their shit make the show not only entertaining, but also a pop culture phenomenon (hence, the numerous spinoff shows).
During my introductory research, I found an interesting quote on Wikipedia. So, I traced the source and apparently this quote has been used in a number of articles written about the phenomenon that is court-TV.
Here is the quote:
Court-show viewers don’t seem to want moral conundrums or technical wrinkles. They love Sheindlin’s show because she offers them a fantasy of how they’d like the justice system to operate—swiftly, and without procedural mishaps or uppity lawyers. They get to see wrongdoers publicly humiliated by a strong authority figure. There is no uncertainty after Sheindlin renders her verdict and bounds off the bench, and there certainly are no lengthy appeals.
This quote seems to apply to the show’s main demographic, women between 25 and 54. If applied to this demographic, I think an interesting question comes to mind: Do women view the show as a fantasy to escape sexism in the justice system?
Certainly, I think many people would agree that in some cases, the court system inherently privileges those who can afford top-notch attorneys. So, does this disproportionately affect women? I think this question opens up an entirely new (and important) can of worms. But, I do think there is something to be said here. In the divorce cases that I have worked on, several of the women were represented by counsel who seemed…shall we say….lackluster. In these cases, the men were the “breadwinners” and the women did not work. So, when the divorces came around, the women did not have as much money for legal retainers. So, it’s interesting for me to see whether this claim about a “legal fantasy” is actually true.
Anyways. Back to the original point. Whether you love Judge Judy or hate her, I think she has done some great things for feminism. She literally set the precedent (hehe) for legal TV. AND people love it! If I mention anything remotely CSPAN-like to my friends, they all cringe. But, if I make a Judge Judy reference, I get the opposite reaction. Some people might critique her for portraying a hyper-masculine persona (as in “she’s just too bitchy”). To that, I say, “Pffft!.” If she was more feminine, I think people would critique that.
Personally, I like that Judge Judy is the same on camera as she is off camera. She is herself, which is not the stereotypical feminine belle. I think Judge Judy is a great role model for girls because she shows them that they don’t have to succumb to certain gender norms if they don’t want to. Do I like everything that she does? Not necessarily. But, I don’t think I’m going to be getting on her bad side any time soon…. 😉
Cites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Sheindlin#cite_note-slate-10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115227/
http://www.examiner.com/article/judge-judy-s-salary-of-123-000-per-day
Pictures cites available as well.
Also, check out some of her interviews on YouTube. They are amazing.
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