Rating TV judges

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Rating TV judges

Rating TV judges, including Judge Judy and Judge Wapner

Judy Sheindlin, aka Judge Judy, signed a deal that will keep her signature pull-no-punches sensibility on the air through 2015. The "Don't Pee On My Leg And Tell Me It's Raining" author has been the most-watched TV judge since her show's 1996 debut. She might be the most popular TV judge, but she's far from the only. How do other gavel-banging stars stack up?

JUDGE JOSEPH WAPNER: Considered the granddaddy of television court show judges, Wapner hosted "The People's Court" for 12 years, setting the blueprint for the spate of court shows that followed. Now 91, Wapner has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and his own line of root beer with the slogan, "I sentence you to drink my root beer."

Judge Marilyn Milian has moved the courtroom to her South Florida home. Associated Press

JUDGE JOE BROWN: Brown already had a retty impressive career before his eponymous show premiered in 1998 -- he was the first black prosecutor in Memphis, Tenn. and gained national attention after presiding over -- and then being removed from -- the last appeal of James Earl Ray, who was convicted of assassinating Martin Luther King Jr.

JUDGE GLENDA HATCHETT: Native Atlantan Glenda Hatchett -- who got her law degree from Emory University -- handled small claims and paternity cases for eight years before her show was canceled in 2008. Episode topics included interventions for dancer and krumper Tommy the Clown and Martin Luther King Jr.'s daughter Yolanda.

JUDGE LYNN TOLER: Taking the reins of "Divorce Court" from Mablean Ephriam in 2006 didn't put Toler in unfamiliar waters -- she was also the judge for the now-canceled courtroom show "Power of Attorney." Before that, she was a municipal judge in Cleveland. Oh, and she went to Harvard. No big deal.

JUDGE ALEX FERRER: With his movie star looks, the judge presiding over "Judge Alex" often gets female litigants tripping over their words. But Ferrer isn't just a pretty face -- in addition to his work on his show, he was previously a police officer, lawyer and judge in Florida. He also runs marathons. Can we hate him now?

JUDGE MARIA LOPEZ: Despite using snappy catchphrases like, "If you can't take the heat, stay out of the courtroom," and presiding over episodes with titles like, "The Dirty Videographer Was A Lemon," Lopez's show was canceled in 2008 after only two seasons. Lopez had better luck when the cameras weren't trained on her -- she was the first Latina district court judge in Massachusetts.

JUDGE MILLS LANE: His show might have been canceled in 2001, but who could forget the smooth-pated judge yelling, "Let's get it on?" at the beginning of every episode? The catchphrase was a nod to his days as a boxing referee, including reffing for one very notable fight -- the "bitten ear" fight between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield.

JUDGE GREG MATHIS: The Detroit native often references his past -- being in a gang and being arrested several times -- when dealing with troublemakers on his show. Before becoming a household name, he served five years as a superior court judge in Michigan.

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Judy Sheindlin, aka Judge Judy, signed a deal that will keep her signature pull-no-punches sensibility on the air through 2015. The "Don't Pee On My Leg And Tell Me It's Raining" author has been the most-watched TV judge since her show's 1996 debut. She might be the most popular TV judge, but she's far from the only. How do other gavel-banging stars stack up?

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