Judge Mathis is a syndicated arbitration-based reality court show presided over by the retired Judge of Michigan's 36th District Court, Greg Mathis. The syndicated series features Mathis adjudicating small claims disputes.
The series was originally produced by Black Pearl Entertainment. It's now produced by Telepictures Productions and Syndicated Productions, while distributed by Warner Bros. Television. It is taped at the NBC Tower in Chicago, but includes cases and litigants from other U.S. jurisdictions.
Greg Mathis's "inspirational and positive messages to young people" won the court show a PRISM Commendation in May 2002. The court show also won an NAACP Image Award in 2004 and a Daytime Emmy Award in 2018.
Each Judge Mathis episode runs for one hour and typically consists of 4 cases. The show is broadcast weekdays nationwide in the United States. It is also broadcast in Canada through Omni Television. The show has aired since 1999 and has aired over 2000 episodes.
In the 2014-15 television season, Judge Mathis began its 16th season, making Mathis the longest serving African American court show arbitrator, after Judge Joe Brown whose program lasted 15 seasons.
Judge Mathis is the fourth longest running courtroom series behind Divorce Court, The People's Court, and Judge Judy. It began its 19th season on Monday, September 4, 2017.
Video Judge Mathis
Show format
The cases on Judge Mathis are classified as tort law, civil disputes with a maximum $5,000 claim, a typical amount for small claims court. The producers of the show select the cases. To acquire cases, the show solicits real-life litigants with pending disputes or individuals with potential disputes. If litigants agree to be on the show, they are paid a talent fee ranging from $150 to $300, and they receive travel accommodations. Mathis does have prior knowledge of the cases. In all cases, litigants give their prospective case managers all evidence in advance. Any real legal case pending must be dismissed by both parties. Typically, Mathis's producers only seek cases that they deem "juicy" enough for TV. Occasionally, Mathis leaves the courtroom to deliberate and then returns with his verdict. Upon final judgment, he may briefly explain the legal principle guiding his verdict, especially if his ruling is based on a particular state's law. Reportedly, Mathis' rulings conform to the laws of the state where the case was originally filed.
Maps Judge Mathis
Incorporation of life story into court show
As a child and a teenager, Mathis was frequently in legal trouble. He was a member of a street gang in Detroit, and he was arrested and sentenced to jail for illegally carrying a firearm when he was 17 years old.
Mathis has frequently used his courtroom series to highlight his troubled-youth-turned-success-story as a way of motivating and inspiring his audience (especially youth audience) that there's no adversity that they can't pick themselves up from. It is from his background where Mathis derives much of his courtroom formula. For example, his show's opening theme was formerly a brief documentary of his powerful life story. As another example, he takes a liking to litigants who've seen the error of their ways and have made efforts to improve and better their lives.
Judge Gregory Mathis's adjudicating approach
Mathis typically begins proceedings by having litigants expound on their side of the dispute, so as to gain insight into the matter. Cases on Judge Mathis tend to go deeper and to more revealing places than those of most other court shows. He also calls attention to peculiarities or juicy details exposed throughout the course of the proceedings as a means of making the cases more interesting to viewers. Furthermore, Mathis doesn't hesitate to tackle any social issues that emerge during the proceedings, tying his social justice perspectives to the cases.
While hearing the testimonies, Mathis takes on a relaxed, attentive, understanding and open-minded nature. Rarely missing an opportunity to jest or poke fun, Mathis is given to fun, humor, good-natured ridicule and gibes, often rousing his audience to uproarious amusement. He sometimes cuts the tension-even tension he himself has fostered-with wisecracks or taunting remarks. Mathis has bantered directly at audience members on occasion, also resulting in audience amusement. He uses a rather high-pitched voice as part of stultifying litigants and suggesting that they've not recognized the obvious.
Combined with his teasing and comedic tendencies on the bench, Mathis is known for his street smart, urban expressions and stern side as well. In moments in which Mathis has found a litigant guilty of a particularly reprehensible act, he takes on a very resentful nature along with lecturing and shaming behaviors. Sometimes in these moments, Mathis makes a point of solemnizing his courtroom due to prior laughs and lightheartedness, letting litigants and everyone on hand know that things are no longer a laughing matter and that he's to be taken seriously.
The final portion of most of the cases generally see Mathis displaying a harshly corrective side, providing an explanation behind the direction of his verdict in the form of a sharp tirade, unbroken in delivery so as not to allow anyone a word in edgewise before his gavel pound and exit.
References
External links
- Judge Mathis Episode Guide
- Judge Mathis on IMDb
- Ask Judge Mathis - Judge Mathis' official website
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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