Moral Court
Encyclopedia
Moral Court was a court show that was hosted by Larry Elder
, and originally ran from 2000 to 2001.
The program had the same concept as a legality
court show however the cases were based on ethics
and morality
with the winner of the case leaving with a cash prize. The judge
decides after hearing the case who is morally right and how much to award. If he finds one party to be merely wrong, he'll award a $500 cash prize. If he finds it to be a more serious moral problem, he terms it offensive, and awards a $1,000 cash prize. If he finds it to be extremely bad, he terms it outrageous, and awards the show's maximum judgment, a $2,000 cash prize. The judge could also dismiss the case if he finds both parties to be wrong. After every case on Moral Court, court reporter/interviewer Vivian Guzman would ask both parties a few questions and let them say their opinion on the outcome of the case. Out of all other court shows on television to this day, Moral Court was the only court show that dealt with ethics
and morality
rather than legality
, hence why the parties were not referred to as the "Plaintiff" and "Defendant", but rather, the "Accuser" and the "Accused". The cases on the show would generally not be taken in a legal court. Moral Court received bad reviews and low ratings, resulting in the show not being renewed for a second season. The show was distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television and produced by Stu Billett Production Inc. The show was created by Stu Billett, who also co-created The People's Court
.
While the show's first run was relatively short, it has seen continued life in syndicated reruns. Moral Court was seen in several markets in late 2005/early 2006, nearly five years after it ended production, and across the country on ION Television in reruns from April to June 2007. It is also being shown on AOL
's In2TV
Internet service.
Larry Elder
Laurence Allen "Larry" Elder is an American radio and television personality. His radio program The Larry Elder Show airs weekdays 9 AM to noon on talk radio 790 KABC in Los Angeles, California...
, and originally ran from 2000 to 2001.
The program had the same concept as a legality
Legality
The principle of legality is the legal ideal that requires all law to be clear, ascertainable and non-retrospective. It requires decision makers to resolve disputes by applying legal rules that have been declared beforehand, and not to alter the legal situation retrospectively by discretionary...
court show however the cases were based on ethics
Ethics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
and morality
Morality
Morality is the differentiation among intentions, decisions, and actions between those that are good and bad . A moral code is a system of morality and a moral is any one practice or teaching within a moral code...
with the winner of the case leaving with a cash prize. The judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
decides after hearing the case who is morally right and how much to award. If he finds one party to be merely wrong, he'll award a $500 cash prize. If he finds it to be a more serious moral problem, he terms it offensive, and awards a $1,000 cash prize. If he finds it to be extremely bad, he terms it outrageous, and awards the show's maximum judgment, a $2,000 cash prize. The judge could also dismiss the case if he finds both parties to be wrong. After every case on Moral Court, court reporter/interviewer Vivian Guzman would ask both parties a few questions and let them say their opinion on the outcome of the case. Out of all other court shows on television to this day, Moral Court was the only court show that dealt with ethics
Ethics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
and morality
Morality
Morality is the differentiation among intentions, decisions, and actions between those that are good and bad . A moral code is a system of morality and a moral is any one practice or teaching within a moral code...
rather than legality
Legality
The principle of legality is the legal ideal that requires all law to be clear, ascertainable and non-retrospective. It requires decision makers to resolve disputes by applying legal rules that have been declared beforehand, and not to alter the legal situation retrospectively by discretionary...
, hence why the parties were not referred to as the "Plaintiff" and "Defendant", but rather, the "Accuser" and the "Accused". The cases on the show would generally not be taken in a legal court. Moral Court received bad reviews and low ratings, resulting in the show not being renewed for a second season. The show was distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television and produced by Stu Billett Production Inc. The show was created by Stu Billett, who also co-created The People's Court
The People's Court
The People's Court is a US television court show in which small claims court cases are heard, though what is shown is actually a binding arbitration....
.
While the show's first run was relatively short, it has seen continued life in syndicated reruns. Moral Court was seen in several markets in late 2005/early 2006, nearly five years after it ended production, and across the country on ION Television in reruns from April to June 2007. It is also being shown on AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
's In2TV
In2TV
In2TV was a website offering ad-supported streaming video of classic TV shows in the USA only .The main appeal of the service was that it made available numerous old shows which were rarely, if ever, aired on broadcast television...
Internet service.
Cast
- Larry ElderLarry ElderLaurence Allen "Larry" Elder is an American radio and television personality. His radio program The Larry Elder Show airs weekdays 9 AM to noon on talk radio 790 KABC in Los Angeles, California...
- Host and Judge - Vivian Guzman - Court Reporter and Interviewer
- Russell Brown(II) - Bailiff