Randy Douthit Shares Lessons Learned From Judge Judy
Judge Judy is a daytime TV show where the judge is put on the stand and grilled about their side of a dispute. Randy Douthit, who has been working for Judge Judy for over 20 years, shares some lessons from the show.
- You have to be honest and clear in the beginning.
Judge Judy’s policy is that both sides need to be honest and clear about their side of the dispute in the beginning. If you are not, this can come out in court, and the judge could find you guilty, even if you feel you were right.
- Do your research before you go on trial!
You don’t want to say something dumb during court, like forgetting the date or date of marriage in your case. Randy Douthit mentions that while he has been working with Judge Judy for over 20 years, he still makes his research and checks up on the facts in his case before going to court.
- Be prepared to keep your temper under control.
Judge Judy is a calm judge who has to be there for the show and doesn’t want any interruptions or outbursts in court. If you are on her side of the dispute, you will have to keep your temper under control.
- Be willing to take responsibility for your actions, not just argue back.
Suppose you disagree with the judge on what they think should happen but don’t argue back. In that case, you can still get your way by telling them a different direction or saying, “I don’t understand what you are saying.” which leads him to give feedback on how their testimony sounded in court.
- You have to be willing to listen, not just talk.
The judge will ask both sides of the dispute questions, and the person on trial will have to be able to listen and answer their questions. This can sometimes be difficult, and people do not always listen or do what they have been told by the judge when they get upset and start arguing again, which can lead them to more problems in court.
- The law tends to favor facts over opinions.
According to Randy Douthit, fact is a larger umbrella than opinion, and Judge Judy relies more on facts instead of opinions when assessing if someone is guilty or not correct in court. In addition, there are cases where the facts are in dispute, and you cannot prove them, which is why this tends to happen.
Judge Judy is a daytime TV show where the judge is put on the stand and grilled about their side of a dispute. Randy Douthit, who has been working for Judge Judy for over 20 years, shares some lessons from the show. You have to be honest and clear in the beginning. Judge Judy’s policy…