The Daytime Emmys have rendered their verdict: court TV shows will compete in their own Emmy award category. On April 30th, when the nominations are announced, legal shows will vie against each other in a new category meant to honor the best in court television. That means for the first time ever, Judge Judy can go up against the likes of The People's Court, Judge Alex, Divorce Court and the rest of the justice-driven syndicated real drama series currently on the air.

For years, the Daytime Emmys have not had a way to truly rate these shows. They were not dramas like the soap operas, nor were the talk or game shows. They inevitably would have been dumped in the Special Class Series category. Last year, for example, Judge Judy was nominated for the award and faced TLC's A Baby Story, MTV's Made and the syndicated shows Starting Over and Animal Rescue. The winner, by the way, was Made (a series about teens who wish to be re-made into something else and the coaches/teachers/aides that re-make them).

Judge Judy, starring Judy Sheindlin (who was a real New York judge before becoming a TV judge), would seem to have the inside track for this award. The show has been nominated nine consecutive years in the Special Class Series slot, but has never won. Judge Judy's biggest competition is likely The People's Court with former Florida Judge Marilyn Milian.

You may wonder why it's taken so long for the court shows to get a category? Apparently, the Emmy folks, i.e. the National Academy of Arts & Sciences (NATAS), believed the genre was too cyclical, that it would burn out after a few years. Instead of disappearing, the judge shows have proliferated the dial. The appeal, say TV professionals who create and sell these shows, is that people like programs that offer quick resolutions. (Tell that to the fans of Lost and Heroes!)