Judge Judy Sheindlin is going to be on the air for at least five more years.
The judge, star of TV’s “Judge Judy,” makes about $47
million a year on her syndicated show, the No. 1 syndicated show in the U.S.
television market.
She brings in big bucks to advertisers and stations that
show “Judge Judy,” so she, in turn, has a big payout herself.
And yes, for those who might think otherwise, Judge Judy is
a real judge.
She, and her husband, served in various courts in New York
State, including Nassau County Family Court, a place I almost lived in for
several years during and after my divorce in the 1990s.
Sheindlin was simply a judge there, and no, I never had her
as a judge, thank goodness.
But I had judges just like her officiate my court
proceedings, and let me tell you, the magic of Judge Judy is that she brings
the exact same demeanor she had in real court to her TV court.
It is the same demeanor that every judge I had in that court
has, and honestly, it is pretty despicable.
When my case was in Family Court, I, as a man, was always
presumed guilty of whatever wrongdoing my ex said I did.
I had to fight—and actually become my own attorney—before the
judges would listen to me. As one side of a divorce and custody matters having
to do with the divorce, a judge does not have to listen to you at all. That is
what your attorney is there for.
But acting as a lawyer, they have to listen to you, whether
they want to or not.
Look, Sheindlin isn’t officiating Family Court cases on TV,
but her brusque attitude has carried over from one court to another.
She is nasty, supposedly all knowing, very short tempered, often vile… all the things viewers love about her.
But for a judge to act like this in a real court … well, for
shame on them, but that is exactly what I encountered.
I did not stand for it, and I once had a court officer
recuse herself from my case because of her prejudicial actions against me.
I was also threatened with being placed in shackles several times when I questioned what was going on. And yes, these threats were real ones, as I saw plenty of fathers, some in suits, led away by court officers in exactly this manner.
I was also threatened with being placed in shackles several times when I questioned what was going on. And yes, these threats were real ones, as I saw plenty of fathers, some in suits, led away by court officers in exactly this manner.
I have been told that Family Court is a much more pleasant
place now, and much fairer to males than anything I experienced 20 years ago.
That is fine, but Judge Judy comes out of the prior
mentality, where she is right, and you can never be right.
I guess that is why I am not as much of a fan of hers as
others are.
I have been there, done that, with her brethren, and I don’t
like it.
To see this on TV, without actually going through it in real
life, well, you really don’t get the full thrust of her venom—but honestly, I
do not wish what I went through on anyone.
So enjoy “Judge Judy” for at least five more years.
To me at least, she isn’t as entertaining as to others.
Again, been there, done that.
First, a fact check.
ReplyDeleteTo the best of my knowledge, neither Judy nor Jerry ever served in any court in Nassau County. Judy was appointed to the NYC Family Court, and ultimately became the Chief Judge of that court. Jerry was a Justice of the NYS Supreme Court in the Bronx. My sister went to his retirement party when he took the job on The People's Court.
I think your personal experience has given you a very jaundiced view of our judicial system. No one likes to be a litigant, but you had a particularly unpleasant experience.
As an attorney I obviously have a different perspective. I don't watch the show often, but when I do, I can predict what she's going to ask, and what her ultimate decision will be.
I would much rather argue a case before a judge like Judy, where you know where you stand, than some of the nutcases I've seen on the bench. Acerbic? Yes. Vile or venomous? Not in my opinion.
She did serve on the Family Court out here. I distinctly remember seeing her, and her husband's, names on the list of judges when I had to go there. I never got her, but the two judges I got were venomous. It was only when I became my own attorney that I was able to get anything done, and yes, that story about getting one of the people recused is true. I also tried to get my second judge recused from my case, because I found out that he had some ties with my ex-wife's attorney. I asked him to recuse himself, and I did it over the phone. Not only wouldn't he do that, he started literally yelling and screaming at me on the phone, and I politely told him that since this was a phone conversation and not taking place in his courtroom, he had no right to be yelling at me like he did. I reported him to the top judge in the court at the time about his ties to the other attorney and his behavior on the phone to me, but happily, I never had to see him again as our case was finished and done with.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, when I was going through my case, judges were extremely prejudicial to fathers in these cases. I remember that when I went through the money part of the process, the judge had on her door a picture of some guy who owed $100,000 or more in back child support with a bull's eye on him, basically lumping me in with this creep. That was the way they looked at fathers back then. I know that things have changed, but back then, the burden of proof was 1,000 percent on me, not on my ex-wife, and I got dumped on a lot. But at least when I was my own attorney, the judge had to listen to me. That gave me some leeway, forced one of his officers who was unfair to me off my case, and actually got me more than I had received when I had an actual lawyer on my case.
I know for sure she was in Manhattan Family Court, but I do remember seeing both of their names in Nassau County Family Court. Beyond that, since I never had her, I don't know if she actually served there, but both of their names were up on the board in that court. I don't know how they rotate judges, or if they use substitute judges, but I distinctly remember that her name, and her husband's name, were both up on the board at the Family Court in Nassau County. Whether she actually was a judge there is something I don't know, but happily, I did not have her. The two judges I had were bad enough.
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