Joseph A. Wapner

In his nearly two-hour Archive interview, Judge Joseph A. Wapner (1919-2017) discusses his twelve-year tenure as the presiding judge on the landmark syndicated series The People's Court. He talks about the start of the series, some memorable cases, and reaction to the show's success. He offers his opinion of the role of a judge and the part that The People's Court had in educating the public about the law. Wapner also talks about his career as a lawyer and later as a judge for the Los Angeles Municipal and Superior Court. He describes his later courtroom series Animal Court (for the Animal Planet cable network) as well as other television appearances he has made through the years (including a memorable case he judged between David Letterman and Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson). Gary Rutkowski conducted the interview in Century City, CA on July 11, 2005.