By a vote of 8-1, the highest court in the land has ruled against Alex Ferrer, Judge Alex. Now, we're not talking the Emmy judges, ruling against the TV show. This is the real legal business, not the Let's Make A Deal-justice of the sort Judge Alex is all about. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled against him. Ferrer, star of the syndicated court show Judge Alex, a former police officer and Florida judge, had brought a case before the high court involving a dispute over commissions he supposedly owed to a former associate, Arnold Preston.






When Ferrer disagreed with the terms of his 2002 contract with Preston, and they could not reach a settlement, Ferrer asked the California Labor Commission to intervene. In Ferrer's opinion, Preston had acted as a talent agent without a license, and in doing so, rendered their contract unenforceable.

No less than the Supreme Court was forced to weigh in on this dispute. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg declared that an arbitrator, and not the state labor commissioner, has the authority to rule. Only Justice Clarence Thomas sided with Ferrer. With that said, Ferrer -- and Preston -- need to find an independent arbitrator. Maybe The People's Court's available?