What do real judges think of Judge Judy?
I know a New York lawyer who presented cases in front of her while she was on the bench.
He said good lawyers admired her. Bad lawyers cried when they got her. My friend loved (as much as anyone could) appearing before her because he knew things would
a) move along without wasted time;
b) be done to the letter of the law; and
c) come to the best possible outcome for all involved.
She demanded - not expected, demanded - that lawyers appearing before her be 150% prepared. She did not suffer fools at all. Her attitude was that a badly-prepared lawyer did a disservice to his clients and wasted her time, the Court’s time, the other attorneys’ time, and everyone else’s time. She considered that a cardinal sin. She felt that not giving the client your best effort was unconscionable for an attorney.
She was also 150% fair. She was prepared for YOUR case. No shuffling papers to find information - she already knew your case backwards and forwards. There were no antics in her Court. No “I’m going to say something the Judge will tell the jury to disregard because I know once heard, cannot be unheard” type shit. You’d pull it once. Just once. And all hell would break loose.
My friend says what you see her do to people who appear on her show is nothing compared to what she did to attorneys in her Court. She held them to a very high standard, and heaven help them if they failed to meet it.
