Here Comes the Judge! Gender Distortion on TV Reality Court Shows

Taunya Lovell Banks, University of Maryland School of Law

Document Type: Article

Abstract

In the judicial world of television court shows women constitute a majority of the judges and where non-white women and men dominate. In real life most judges are white and male. This essay looks at the gender and racial composition and demeanor of these television reality judges. It asks whether women TV reality judges behave differently from their male counterparts and whether women’s increased visibility as judges on daytime reality court shows reinforces or diminishes traditional negative stereotypes about women, especially non-white women.

Keywords:

reality television, court room television, judges

Discipline(s)

Judges | Sociology

Recommended Citation

39 University of Baltimore Law Forum 28 (2009).