The People's Court in 1986
At the time that Mix Tapes and Stolen Tests takes place, no one called "The People's Court" one of the first “reality shows” on television. It was never on during prime-time hours but it became a cultural icon. It was a show about small claims court where there were no actors or pre-planned stories.
'People’s Court" began on television in September 1981. The original show announcer was Doug LLewellyn. The original bailiff was named Rusty. The setting looked like a typical court room. The judge had a big bench in front and the litigants stood behind lecturns facing the judge. Everything was wood. The American flag was in the corner. Shows were taped in Los Angeles and the rules of the show were subject to California law. The most a party could sue for was $1500, which was the California limit. To be featured on the show, the actual participants in a legal small claims court case had to agree to drop the legal case to go on the show. There was a fund pool that participants were paid from. The winner got more of the pool while the losing side had the money they owed to the winner deducted from their pay.
In Chapter 8 of Mix Tapes and Stolen Tests, one of the football players name-drops Judge Wapner. Who was the good judge?
Judge Joseph Wapner was born in November 15, 1919. As of this writing he is still alive. He was a U.S. Army Lieutenant and awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for his services. He served on the California courts from 1959 to 1970. After retirement, he would be active in the legal services when the producers of People’s Court went looking for someone to be the judge.
"The People’s Court" ran with Judge Wapner from 1981 to 1993. The show was the most popular syndicated show for a long while in the 1980s. it would spawn a reboot of "Divorce Court," family court shows and interest in law shows as prime time dramas. The most famous name-drop of "People’s Court" was in the Academy Award winning movie, Rain Man.
Ratings went down and eventually Judge Wapner was terminated from the show. He found out from his brother-in-law who heard about it on the radio.
Judge Wapner would later have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in November 2009. He would also write two books, A View from the Bench and Judge Wapner’s Guide to Small Claims Court. They can be available at Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com but they don't appear to be in ebook format.
This information came from People’s court.com and wikipedia.
Here is the link for Mix Tapes and Stolen Tests.