Document Type

Book Chapter

Publication Date

2009

Keywords

daytime television court shows

Comments

Permission received from the American Bar Association July 7, 2009. "This information or any portion thereof may not be copied or disseminated in any form or by any means or downloaded or stored in an electronic database or retrieval system without the express written consent of the American Bar Association."

Abstract

Critics of reality daytime television court shows remain divided over whether the possible educational benefits of these shows outweigh their distorted images of judicial proceedings. .... few pay much attention to the shifting demographics of the reality court judges.... In 2008, women judges outnumber their male counterparts.... four judges are Latina/o and another four are black. Only Judy Sheindlin of Judge Judy, the best known and most popular reality court judge, and David Young of Judge David Young, an openly gay man, are white. There are no Asian American judges on reality court shows...., nevertheless, the judicial world of daytime reality television court shows is far more diverse in terms of gender and race than real courts. .... After almost a decade, the popularity of television reality court shows continues and the judges are even more diverse. This essay looks at the reasons for the persistent overrepresentation of women and non-white male judges on these shows and possible implications for the American legal system.

Disciplines

Law

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Law Commons

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