Was Jerry Springer Actually A Judge?

In the past, Jerry Springer opened up about filling an important role in his courtroom series. Springer died at the age of 79, as reported by TMZ. The entertainment news site stated that his death took place just months after he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Linda Shafran, Springer's publicist, additionally confirmed to NBC News that pancreatic cancer caused the longtime TV host's death. Over the years, Springer filled various positions in television. Per his site, Springer was a news anchor for a time and later gained fame for his explosive talk show, "The Jerry Springer Show," which began in 1991 and concluded in 2018.

After this series, Springer moved on to host another show beginning in 2019 called "Judge Jerry." Throughout this reality program, Springer decided on the verdicts for a variety of real-life court cases. Springer discussed the venture in 2018 and joked about his new title. "For the first time in my life, people are going to call me honorable," Springer quipped to Access Hollywood before adding, "I'm excited about that." Springer also spoke publicly about his position as a TV judge on other occasions.

Jerry Springer took the necessary measures to be a legally authorized judge for his series, "Judge Jerry." Per his "Judge Jerry" bio, Springer studied at Northwestern University, where he gained a degree in law. Subsequently, he worked as a lawyer at times during his professional life. As "Judge Jerry" was debuting in 2019, Springer was asked about what is required to become a judge in a BUILD Series interview. "Well, I'm a lawyer, so you would have to have that," Springer said. He went on to clarify, "In most of the country, you don't even have to be a lawyer necessarily to be a judge — it's an elected office." 

In another interview from 2019, Springer further explained how he dedicated one day toward gaining the proper certification for the title of judge. "There was a day of reviewing how it works. You get special certification, and I'm a lawyer," Springer said, per the New York Post. "You have to be certified [to be a judge]; it's a day thing, and if you're a lawyer it's almost automatic unless you've killed someone." Following this process, Springer was focused on delivering just verdicts on "Judge Jerry."

Jerry Springer took his "Judge Jerry" role seriously. In 2019, the late TV host discussed how he'd been able to apply his passion for law as a judge for "Judge Jerry." "I get to be a judge and use whatever I learned in law school and practicing law," Springer said on "Today." "So I'm really enjoying it." As the series was entering its third and final season, via TVLine, Springer opened up about determining the verdicts of "Judge Jerry" court cases. "This judge show is really the first grown-up job I've had in 30 years," Springer said to AZTV7 in 2021. "So I've got to be a little bit serious towards the end of the case because whatever judgment I make, that's it." 

Furthermore, during his 2019 New York Post chat, Springer elaborated on the importance of making the right calls as a TV judge. "These are real cases ... Therefore I'm real conscious of treating these people with respect because these issues are important to them," Springer said. "The judgments are $5,000 or less, and for a lot of people $5,000 isn't chump change." That same year, Springer talked to journalist Larry King about his style as a judge, saying, "I try to respect everyone I talk to, and maybe that comes through."