* BaseBreakingCharacter: Judge Judy herself has run the full spectrum of reactions throughout her show’s run. One the one hand, Her Honor has many fans who love to see her lay down the law (figuratively and literally) to litigants who don't have a case, and think her razor-sharp personality makes her endearing. On the other hand, there are those who see Judge Judy as a bully and a {{jerkass}}, arguing that she makes the whole justice system look bad with her abrasive attitude. There's not much middle ground on her.
* MemeticMutation:
** The August 17, 2017 episode has spawned several memes, both from the case itself, which involved the theft of ''[[TabletopGame/YuGiOh Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'' [[TabletopGame/YuGiOh cards]], to Creator/AmySchumer making [[FreezeFrameBonus a surprise appearance]] in the audience. [[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-4801060/Amy-Schumer-court-photobombs-Judge-Judy.html It has to be seen to be believed.]]
** The episode involving an argument between two individuals over ''Guacamole'' has become this.
** An episode where a woman was suing her date, a Twitch streamer who was live streaming the date, for invasion of privacy has spawned memes and discussions.
** One episode had a man bearing an uncanny resemblance to Senpai from ''VideoGame/FridayNightFunkin'', to the point that people started making [[GameMod mods]] themed around that particular episode.
** Bailiff, [[GroinAttack whack his PP]] [[labelnote:Explanation]] An [[https://youtu.be/SwVFRr1ZUcU audio edit]] involving Judy making sure the defendant doesn't appear in court again by having the Bailiff attack his groin, ending with a scream from ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'' became popular around 2021, used as an insult towards other users.[[/labelnote]]
* NightmareFuel: The earthquake in one episode. It's real (not staged), it comes out of nowhere, and even the tough-as-nails Judge Judy [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere leaves the courtroom]].
* NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity:
** As stated by Judge Judy 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."
** Some litigants who clearly had no case must have agreed to appear on the show because of this. This tends to backfire on them catastrophically, since Judge Judy gives them no time to look "cool" and is sure to expose every rotten trick they've ever pulled before she's through with them.
* SpoiledByTheFormat: With the rare exception of a long two parter case, most cases are decided within the half hour time block, so if a case ends right before the final commercial break and a new case starts, the new case will only be a few minutes and will be typically ruled quickly.
* TearJerker: There are a number of cases where some upsetting moments are shown. However, Judge Judy has said that "Feelings have no place in court" even if sometimes she doesn't feel that way. She's also not swayed by litigants' tears, whether the tears are real or a ploy to try to gain her sympathy.
** One case in which Judge Judy ''didn't'' chastise a tearful litigant was the infamous case in which a woman sued her son's deceased friend's mother for damage to her car following an accident in which the defendant's daughter was killed. The defendant sobbed quietly through much of the case, obviously still devastated by the loss of her daughter. When the plaintiff admitted she'd left her keys in the car and always did so out of habit, Judge Judy tore her a new one and called her an idiot before dismissing her complaint and ruling in favor of the defendant on her $5,000 counterclaim for emotional distress. Her Honor was so angered by the plaintiff's position that the defendant, who was still in tears during the post-case interview, barely had to say a word.
** A 2013 case in which a mother and her son were suing the defendant for either the return of their dog or $2500. Judge Judy chastised the defendant, who had found the dog after it ran away, for failing to take the necessary steps to return the dog to the plaintiff. However, Judge Judy determined that since the dog had lived with the defendant for three months and obviously bonded with him, she opted to let the defendant keep the dog and award the plaintiff $2500 so she could buy her son a new dog. Although Judge Judy had explained the reason behind her decision in a sensitive and gentle way to the plaintiff's son, the boy burst into tears afterward, and his loud sobs were heartrending.
** A 2017 case in which a sister was suing for a loan for dental work. The plaintiff had taken out a loan for her sister, the defendant, and was suing for the maximum amount ($5,000) as the loan was over $6,000. The defendant originally paid $1,000 on the loan but stop paying after a fight between the two. Judge Judy found out the reason for the fight; the defendant was in the hospital having a child and found out that her husband (the father) was cheating on her with the plaintiff and were still together. Judge Judy felt very sorry for the defendant after that point (while the defendant was crying the whole time) and started to yell at the plaintiff and the unseen husband for causing that to her while she was in the hospital. However, she said that while the plaintiff was "morally bankrupted" still ruled in favor of the plaintiff for the maximum amount and explained her reason as it was a loan and no matter how morally bankrupt the plaintiff is and how she shouldn't get a dime, her hands were tied on this case.
** There was a 2014 case in which resulted in back rent and ownership of a snake. The snake was owned by plaintiff's son (who was 7 years old). The plaintiff waited over a year before asking for the snake back and the defendant refused saying they had become attached to the snake. Judge Judy ruled that the back rent was owned but she couldn't get the snake back, when the plaintiff's son started to cry finding out he wouldn't get his snake back. The plaintiff then said that she was willing to forget about the money but just wanted the snake back when the defendant's son started to tear up a bit. Judge Judy said that if she was willing to forget about the money then she could have the snake back. While the plaintiff did get the snake back, the defendant's son wasn't happy and started to tear up during the interview at the end.
** The case of 31-year-old Jason Stemple, who was being sued by his former roommate for rent reimbursement and moving costs after she found out that he was using heroin. During the case, it quickly became apparent that Jason was suffering from a bad case of heroin withdrawal symptoms, as he couldn't stop fidgeting and grimacing, and struggled to even form sentences. Judge Judy took pity on him, telling him he needed help if he wanted to live to be 32, and offered to provide it to him; the plaintiff also expressed her sympathy in the closing video montage. Tragically, Jason took his own life in 2016.
* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Judge Judy occasionally come off this way. While a number of litigants are scumbags who deserve her tearing into them, there are cases where her harsh and caustic behavior comes off as needlessly cruel or unnecessary. She also isn’t above judging things based on her own outdated values, such as demonizing the use of social media and online shopping, or one particular case where she ruled that a woman could not have owned a video game console herself (as opposed to having purchased it as a gift for her boyfriend) because video games, in the judge’s view, are not a ladylike hobby.