Judge Judy

*Judge Judy* is an American arbitration-based reality court show presided over by retired Manhattan Family Court Judge Judith Sheindlin. The show features Sheindlin adjudicating real-life small claims disputes within a simulated courtroom set. All parties involved must sign contracts, agreeing to arbitration under Sheindlin. The series is in first-run syndication and distributed by CBS Television Distribution. *Judge Judy*, which premiered on September 16, 1996, reportedly revitalized the court show genre. Only two other arbitration-based reality court shows preceded it, *The People's Court* and *Jones and Jury*. Sheindlin has been credited with introducing the "tough" adjudicating approach into the judicial genre, which has led to several imitators. The two court shows that outnumber *Judge Judy*'s seasons, *The People's Court* and *Divorce Court*, have both lasted via multiple lives of production and shifting arbiters, making Sheindlin's span as a television arbiter the longest.

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