History Series / JudgeJudy

%%* INeverSaidItWasPoison: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDf5gkpW6cA This idiot]]'s {{epic fail}} at least [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments amused her Honor and everyone else]].

* ConvictionByCounterfactualClue: Judge Judy has committed this fallacy several times.

** One [[TooDumbToLive lovable idiot]] accused of jumping on the plaintiff's car and denting the trunk denied responsibility since she'd offered him a ride and told him to "hop on the car."

* ImplausibleDeniability: Most of the defendants pull this.
* INeverSaidItWasPoison: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDf5gkpW6cA This idiot]]'s {{epic fail}} at least [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments amused her Honor and everyone else]].

Note that Ms. Sheindlin is not actually acting as a judge and the show is filmed on a set, not in a courtroom. The guy in front of her is a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petri_Hawkins-Byrd former New York City Court Bailiff]], not a police officer, and the "public gallery" is filled by [[MoneyDearBoy paid extras]]. She is actually acting as an arbiter (a third party whose decision both parties in the dispute agree to abide by). Both "litigants" will be paid; Judy is determining the balance of the two.

* PointAndLaughShow: Lots of stupid people appear on this show and try to fool Judge Juddy. In the end, they "(look like a fool, etc.) in front of ten million people."

-->'''Ashley Hunter:''' [[RhetoricalQuestionBlunder Rocket science is]] when the scientists find out things about space. [''lengthy and uncomfortable beat''] I think.

Thus begins the most popular judge show in recent history. ''Judge Judy'' can be summed up in one sentence: "What if the {{mediator}} persona was a real person?"

* AssholeVictim: Well, [[CaptainObvious it's a court show.]]
* {{Badass}}: Judy is arguably one of the most intimidating people on television (that isn't sports related) she's tough as nails and doesn't take crap from anyone, no matter what person she has to deal with.

* CantGetAwayWithNuthin: In one case involving a 20 year old who got caught the first time he used a fake ID, Judge Judy lampshades this by calling him "the unluckiest person on Earth."

* HangingJudge

** Also, Judy is vocal on stating that the show is all about being a living example of her belief that those who do wrong should suffer consequences. But those in the wrong [[KarmaHoudini suffer no consequences]] [[BrokenAesop on this show]]. In fact, they gain from their bad behaviour. All participants get an all expenses paid trip to Los Angeles. All participants get a minimum attendance fee of $1,000. And any monetary judgements made against a participant are paid by the show. The only cost they receive is their dignity; millions of television viewers worldwide will get to see how inhuman they really are.
*** Some would argue that ''is'' sufficient punishment. Being plastered all over the media and having the nation know who you are can make your life hell if you're ''good'', like Oliver Sipple who saved Gerald Ford's life and got ruined by the publicity. If you're ''bad'', like that one defendant who committed identity theft on her own sister and insisted she did nothing wrong, everyone you know and care about could turn on you after learning what you did. Try having a positive personal life after ''that''.
*** The personification of the above point would be Kelli Filkins, the defendant known as the "eBay scammer." Appearing on Judge Judy was the worst thing she ever did; the negative publicity resulting from her amoral behavior ruined her.

* INeverSaidItWasPoison: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDf5gkpW6cA This]] [[WhatAnIdiot idiot]]'s {{epic fail}} at least [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments amused her Honor and everyone else]].

* JerkAss: Her Honor herself, who always speaks her mind, regardless of people's feelings. But then again, the truth hurts.
** JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Judge Judy sometimes shows a softer side. Her tone of voice is much kinder when a litigant is mature and respectful, and is especially so in cases where innocent children are victimized.

* KubrickStare[=/=]DeathGlare: Judge Judy, mainly directed at litigants who are demonstrating unusual dishonesty, stupidity, or are otherwise trying her patience.
* LaxativePrank: One defendant pulls a variation of this, giving a brownie laced with marijuana instead of a laxative to the plaintiff. Judge Judy is not amused, pointing out that this is actually assault.
* LivingLieDetector: Judge Judy herself (or in her own words, "Truth Machine").
** She thinks she is, at least. Very rarely does she acknowledge the possibility that she ''might'' be wrong.

*** One case where she ''was'' proven wrong was where she accused a woman of lying when the woman claimed that she walked over a large distance to and from work every day. When her opponent actually ''spoke up in her defense'' when the judge didn't believe her, confirming that yes, she in fact ''did'' walk that distance every day, Judge Judy admitted her mistake and apologized.\\
The above is a ''very'' rare occasion though. Generally speaking, Judge Judy will get more and more irritated if she asks questions she thinks will embarrass defendants and make them look like feckless bums and then gets answers that don't suit her and prove otherwise. She's then most likely to simply change the subject.

* NeverLendToAFriend: A ''lot'' of the cases involve the plaintiff suing a former friend for an unpaid loan. The defendant's usual defense will be "it was a gift, not a loan," such as in [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpRKwgEQWhs this case]]. Judge Judy almost always rules in favor of the plaintiff, as well as giving them the advice: "Never lend money to anybody. As soon as you lend money, you become the bad guy."

* NeverMyFault: Almost everybody that appears. Even when Judge Judy rips them to shreds either by exposing their lies or by throwing the law in their face, quite a bit of them will continue to deny that they did anything wrong.
* NotDistractedByTheSexy: Judge Judy has never once been swayed by litigants who are in short skirts or low-cut tops.
** In fact, if the outfit is particularly ridiculous, she will send them out to either change or find something to cover up with.
** However, in one case, she apparently felt a little more tolerant or patient: she obviously disapproved of the attire of a very scantily-clad young woman, but she just asked sarcastically, first-off, "Would you like a shawl?", and then let the matter go after no response was forthcoming, and continued with the hearing.
* OpeningNarration[=/=]EmphasizeEverything: "''You'' are about to enter the ''courtroom'' of ''Judge Judith Sheindlin!'' The ''people'' are ''real''. The ''cases'' are real. The ''rulings'' are ''final''! (This is ''her'' courtroom!) This is ''Judge Judy''!"
* PointAndLaughShow

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: What Judge Judy's one of the best at, whether they actually suck or not. But most of them definitely do.

* {{Tagline}}: "Real cases. Real people. Judge Judy."
** Also: "The people are real. The cases are real. The rulings are final."
* TeensAreMonsters: Judge Judy is a [[FavoriteTrope staunch believer in this]] (to be fair, the [[StrawmanPolitical teens that typically appear on the show]] don't do much to prove her wrong).
-->I've raised several teenagers, so I know that the first thing that teenagers do when they open their mouths is lie.
** Averted when she discovers that some teens are genuine victims. In one case, she tells the teenage son of a defendant in a claim he had nothing to do with in a heartfelt voice to get away from his father and sister any way he can, believing he was too good a person to be corrupted with their influence.

[[FollowTheLeader Spawned a whole bunch of judge shows]]; however, it was not the originator of the judge show -- that honor belongs to ''Series/ThePeoplesCourt'', which premiered fifteen years before the show in 1981.

[[FollowTheLeader Spawned a whole bunch of judge shows]]; however, it was not the originator of the judge show, as [[Film/RainMan Raymond Babbit]] [[Series/ThePeoplesCourt would tell you.]]

** Averted when she discovers that teens are genuine victims. In one case, she tells the teenage son of a defendant in a claim he had nothing to do with in a heartfelt voice to get away from his father and sister any way he can, believing he was too good a person to be corrupted with their influence.

* BerserkButton: Don't answer her questions with "Um" or some variant instead of "Yes" or "No." Also, interrupting her is one, as shown by her [[{{Catch Phrase}} catchphrases]] below. And {{obfuscating stupidity}} is another, as exemplified by these two lines:
** "Either you're playing dumb or it's not an act."
** "Don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining."
** Don't wear shorts to court, or sleeveless shirts.
** And don't sue someone, and then ''not bring the relevant documents'' (such as suing your landlord and then not bringing the lease); if you do that, expect a tongue-lashing about your idiocy.
** She ''hates'' it when a litigant's testimony contradicts their own complaint or response. Since both are provided under oath, one has to be a lie. (If it was an honest mistake, she hates it equally when people are unable to use the phrase, "I don't know.")

* BlatantLies: Lots of people try to pull this, but as a "truth machine," Judy is having none of it.

* NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity: As stated by the judge herself during a case, "I really don't need you [the winning plaintiff] to approve of me. 10 million people approve of me. There are a lot of people who watch that don't approve of me. I don't care as long as they watch."

* RealitySubtext: A side effect of the above CaliforniaDoubling was revealed in a 2008 episode when an [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BN-jNUz2RjM earthquake struck during filming]].

* CastTheExpert

** JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Judge Judy sometimes shows a softer side. Her tone of voice is much kinder when a litigant is mature and respectful, and is especially so in cases where innocent children are victimized. Her worst venom is reserved for defendants who don't have a defense and are wasting her time.

** JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Judge Judy sometimes shows a softer side. Especially in cases where innocent children are victimized.

** "You ate the steak!"
*** She likes to use going to a restaurant and eating steak as a way of explaining why a person who has neglected/refused paying rent or paying for a service has to pay. Due to how many people attempt to justify this, she uses it quite a bit.

* CourtroomAntics: The Judge herself will often disrupt the proceedings to offer candid and irrelevant opinions about her clients or society in general. She's not above asking litigants non-rhetorical questions and then shouting them down when they try to answer.

* {{Badass}}: Judy is arguably one of the most intimidating people on television (that isn't sports related)

* {{Badass}} Judy is arguably one of the most intimidating people on television (that isn't sports)

** JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Judge Judy sometimes shows a softer side. Especially in cases where children are involved.

** JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Judge Judy sometimes shows a softer side.

** Another example, was about a landlord who evicted his tenants after he found out they were black. Not only did he not show up for court but the guy who came in his place knew literally nothing about the case, and was pretty much a random stranger.

** Or repeating what someone said, who isn't actually in the courtroom, as evidence. She will dismiss it as hearsay.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: She may be harsh, but Judy’s job is a judge and she doesn’t take anyone’s side. She’s only to help who’s in the right or wrong, meaning regardless on who’s the plaintiff or the defendant. It’s ''her job'' to be impartial, and while she does make a final decision, she has to hear both sides of the case before doing so.