Rachel Juarez

01/30/2026

I was waiting to post something more artistic or do a full on Emmy photo show but then I realized what a hilariously unrealistic concept that is....me? Extra time?

So, for now, LOOK WHAT ARRIVED TODAY. Ahhhhhh.

For those that don't know, this was Hot Bench's very first Emmy and it came in connection with a very meaningful year for us - Season 11, which was Judge Michael Corriero's final year on our bench. Judge Michael welcomed me and Yodit with open arms and an open heart, and he was a HUGE reason that I fell so in love with this job and this show.

So this one is for Judge Michael, but also for the incredible Season 11 LA-based Hot Bench team who earned this award 10x over.

Now...let's bring home another for Judge Dan and the Connecticut crew!

01/29/2026

12/20/2025

Court is officially in session, 24/7. ⚖️ The Judge Judy livestream is live now on the CBS website!

12/15/2025

11/10/2025

We have so many fantastic brand new Season 12 episodes that it's easy to sometimes overlook our older episodes.

But don't sleep on our repeats! Especially if you haven't seen them yet!

Today's second episode - a familiar story about a "loan" - takes a unique turn when the defendant claims his promises to pay were just "sarcasm."

Most expensive sarcasm ever? We'll see...

10/31/2025

Another wonderful piece by Inside Edition bringing attention to this important and troubling story, which continues to unfold day by day.

And no discussion of this saga would be complete without mentioning the tireless content creators who wore so many hats -- as detectives, reporters, advocates, you name it -- while fighting for justice here.

Dave Neal, Megan Fox, RealitySteve.com, Lauren Neidigh, Omar Serrato, Schnitzel Ninja, Bruce, Brad, and so many others deserve the credit for this one. And a special shout-out to the fantastic social media accounts Justice for Clayton and Victims of Laura Owens for staying on top of the news on a minute-by-minute basis (I know I'm probably forgetting someone - I'm sorry!).

I will post a link later today with info on how you can follow all of these accounts. It's worth it.

Link to this story in my comments.

10/30/2025

Pro tip for would-be litigants: to be defamation, it must be FALSE. If it's true, there may be other legal claims to consider. But defamation is not one of them. We like to say that, legally, truth is an "absolute defense" to a defamation claim.

10/30/2025

These tenants were living amidst filth - but did the landlord know?

This episode, which aired this past Tuesday, has generated a LOT of differing opinions - including on the bench! And there's a really good reason why.

We see cases like this all the time - and they are often very difficult. What do you do when a tenant has serious complaints about the condition of their home - conditions that are completely intolerable - but they can't prove that they advised the landlord? There is no one size fits all solution. Check out this past Tuesday's episode (clips on Youtube) to find out what we decided in this one. Spoiler: It was NOT unanimous.

10/29/2025

We see so many cases that really should have been resolved out of court. There are many different reasons and many different ways to solve things out of court. The list is endless.

With that said, a baseball bat is never the way to solve a dispute about anything other than baseball.

10/19/2025

10/18/2025

HOLY CRAP YOU GUYS!

What a week.

So grateful for everyone who helped make this happen. And could not be happier to win this in honor of our beloved Michael's and Sonia's last season!!!

Sending all of my love to this amazing family from my sick bed (yes, can you believe it??)...

More when I can catch my breath...both literally and figuratively.

Daytime Emmys
Hot Bench