Before there was Judge Judy there was The People’s Court. Although Judge Judith Sheindlin has had the longest-running reality arbitration-based court show in TV history (25 seasons), she did not pioneer the genre. That distinction belongs to Judge Joseph Wapner (Nov. 15, 1919 — Feb. 26, 2017), who presided over the first run of The People’s Court for 12 seasons and 2,484 episodes.
Quotes: “People think I’m kind and considerate and that I listen and evaluate and give each party a chance to talk. The public’s perception of judges seems to be improving because of what I’m doing, and that makes me happy.” | “I’m trying to demystify the whole process. Make it simple, make it palatable. I want people to have respect for the law, and I want to educate people on the basics of the law.”
Sources: Wikipedia, BrainyQuote
Learn more about Judge Joseph Wapner on Wikipedia. ►
Watch “Judge Wapner Discusses Some of His Memorable Real-Life Cases” [4:52]. ►
Watch “Judge Wapner, People’s Court Memories” [6:31]. ►
Watch “Letterman vs. Carson” with Judge Wapner hearing the case (image quality not great) [17:33]. ►
Photo: WYMT
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