Hot Bench returned for its ninth season in October with recent judges Rachel Juarez and Yodi Tewolde joined the experienced lawyer Michael Corriero, who has been working at “HB” since 2016.
Created by Judith “Judge Judy” Sheindlin, the daytime court show continues to draw a solid audience averaging nearly 2 million viewers a day – the pinnacle of its genre amongst shows currently in production (“Judge Judy” finished its series of original episodes in 2021). .
Juarez and Tewolde, who replaced Patricia DiMango and Tanya Acker, arrived in good faith; Suarez as a veteran litigator and Tewolde as a criminal defense attorney and legal analyst.
Juarez, Tewolde and Corriero answered some questions for The Post.
What do you bring to being a judge on Hot Bench?
Juarez: I used to be most interested in the educational aspect of the program and the platform it gives us to share legal knowledge in each case. Additionally it is essential for everybody to know that “following the law” doesn’t all the time produce the result that seems most fair or satisfactory. I hope to attempt to inject a few of the “why” behind the law into our deliberations and verdicts in order that our viewers can engage more fully with the behind-the-scenes look into the legal system.
Tewolde: My time as a prosecutor working with pro-se defendants [representing themselves]and experience as a defender allow me to bring an unexpected level of patience to the bench [people] they are not used to watching court shows. But more importantly, my time on each side of the aisle allows me to bring empathy to the bench. My experience as a radio journalist covering trials can be helpful.
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ANDis there one case that resonates with you this season?
Juarez: Earlier in the season we had a case involving a nursery owner who hired a van driver to move quite a lot of preschool children to and from the nursery. The driver had an accident (luckily there have been no children in the automobile); Nonetheless, from the testimony, we learned that his wife persuaded him to take a job as a driver with a view to move out of the house – and provides him a vehicle to drive because he was such a foul driver that she would not let him drive her automobile. A few of the parties (and our wonderful audience) thought it was “cute” and “funny” that his wife advisable him a job as a driver… To me, it was scary.
Tewolde: While the same issues seem to return up, the sides of the argument are so different and make an enduring impression (each good and bad), so many things resonate. Nonetheless, the ones that basically stand out are the ones where we are able to by some means help people get better, especially in cases involving feuding relations.
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![Michael Corriero was among others](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/hot-bench-landscape-1.jpg?w=1024)
How do you prepare for any case with such a big area to cover?
Juarez: It’s so essential to do not forget that these are real cases and real parties entrusting us with the resolution of their real lawsuits. In each case, I rigorously read each the grievance and the response, and punctiliously review any evidence presented by the parties before appearing in court. As well as, many matters require us to research and review specific laws or legal principles in numerous jurisdictions.
Tewolde: A number of reading, searching and pondering. We now have one in every of the best research teams who’re meticulous in the level of detail and background they supply to be used in each case. While we’re on TV, NONE of these items are staged. This job requires loads of diligence, pondering and time.
Michael, how much of a change was working with Yodit and Rachel?
Corriero: It wasn’t an enormous change… I loved spending time with Tanya and Patricia, but relaunching the show with Yodit and Rachel gave us the opportunity to draw an excellent wider audience. We’re the same show our viewers have come to know and love, but the addition of Yodit and Rachel brings exciting recent energy and a fresh recent dynamic and perspective. Sitting next to them on the bench feels very natural, which I believe is reflected in our on-screen chemistry.
Hot Bench airs weekdays from 9am to 10am on WLNY/Ch. 55.