The new judges who joined the cast of Hot Bench for its ninth season in 2022 are Judges Yodit Tewolde and Rachel Juarez.
Hot Bench is a show with one of the most unique formats of any courtroom television shows on the air and was created by Judge Judy Sheindlin.
In order to keep with this unique format, Hot Bench has had to replace its two departing judges with two new judges, named Yodit Tewolde and Rachel Juarez, who have had impressive legal careers so far.
What makes Hot Bench so good to watch?
Hot Bench has managed to create a unique format that allows viewers to feel like they are going behind the scenes in order to learn more about what goes into the deliberation and sentencing process of a typical trail.
The “majority rules” system that the show follows is also something that has not really been seen in this kind of show before and gives viewers the opportunity to hear more than one judge’s opinion on all of the cases that are heard on the show.
The judges on the show are all hand-picked by Judge Judy Sheindlin, who is also the creator of the show and this is what gives the show its unique balance of serious discussions and arguments, but also dramatic and comedic moments to keep it interesting.
Who are the new judges on Hot Bench 2022?
Although Hot Bench has been on the air since 2014 and has remained incredibly popular ever since, the ninth season of the show, which began airing on 31 October 2022, has changed up the format of the show slightly.
There are still three total judges who preside over each case in this new season and deliberate to find an outcome, but two new judges, Yodit Tewolde and Rachel Juarez were introduced to the show in 2022.
They will preside over the cases along with Judge Michael Corriero, who has been on the show for six years.
Judge Michael Corriero, who is the only remaining judge from the previous season, has always been a fan-favourite on the show and has worked for the New York State Court for 28 years.
Even though Judges Tanya Acker and Patricia DiMango have left the show, the new judges have enough accomplishments of their own to be able to add meaningful contributions during arguments and deliberations.
Judge Yodit Tewolde is the managing attorney at her own criminal defence firm and also has some television experience through her appearances and contributions as a legal analyst on Making the Case, America’s Most Wanted and CourtTV.
Judge Rachel Juarez is an experienced litigator and although she lacks Judge Tewolde’s previous television experience, she does have experience in various high-income divorce and family matters.
Why were the new judges chosen to join Hot Bench in 2022?
The executive producer has put viewers of the show, who might be nervous about the introduction of two brand new cast members in such important roles at ease, by saying that the reason they chose Judges Yodit Tewolde and Rachel Juarez to join the cast, was because of the fresh energy that they will bring to the show moving forward.
To add to this, these judges have diverse backgrounds and varied experiences practicing law in real life, which will help them to make strong arguments and fair judgements during the cases they will have to preside over on the show.
Why did the other judges leave Hot Bench in 2022?
Although Judges Patricia DiMango and Tanya Acker left Hot Bench at the end of the eighth season, fans will still be able to tune in to watch them on a new Amazon Freevee Tribunal court show.
This new show was also created by Judge Judith Sheindlin and it is likely that both Judges Patricia DiMango and Tanya Acker decided to leave Hot Bench to focus their efforts on making this new show a success.
How will the format of season nine of Hot Bench change?
It might seem like two judges leaving and being replaced all in one season is a lot of change for a single show to handle, but many of the elements that make the show unique and interesting to watch will remain intact moving forward.
The show will still have a panel with the three new judges and real cases from small claims courts across the country and the judges will still have to reach a majority vote in order to come to a final ruling on these cases.
This means that the ninth season of Hot Bench will feel fresh, but familiar to fans of the show.
