Day in Court
Day in Court is an American dramatized court show that aired on ABC Daytime from October 13, 1958, to February 1965.
Background and overview
In the summer of 1957, ABC owned-and-operated [List of American Broadcasting Company|ABC television affiliates (by U.S. state)|Los Angeles affiliate] KABC began broadcasting a show entitled Traffic Court. The series presented re-enactments of traffic court cases and arraignments. First the series aired locally but became part of ABC's national daytime schedule. It was soon followed by Divorce Court which premiered on, then, local Los Angeles independent station KTTV,, in 1957. The show became nationally syndicated in 1958.Day in Court premiered on October 13, 1958 as part of ABC's daytime schedule. The program aired five days a week in the afternoon. The program provided viewers with as realistic a look as possible at how real trials are conducted and decided. Re-enactments of actual cases were used, with real attorneys making their arguments in front of real judges. Only the defendants and witnesses were actors.
Edgar Allan Jones, Jr. and William Gwinn played the judge on alternating days. Jones had a law degree from the University of Virginia, was a member of the UCLA law faculty and a labor arbitrator. Gwinn was an actor.