Is Judge Mathis filmed in Chicago?

Judge Mathis is an American syndicated arbitration-based reality court show presided over by Judge Greg Mathis, a former judge of Michigan's 36th District Court and Black-interests motivational speaker/activist.
The courtroom series premiered on Monday, September 13, 1999. The first-run syndication broadcast features Judge Mathis adjudicating small claims disputes from his studio courtroom set. The series is NAACP Image Award winning, as well as the first court show featuring an African American jurist to win Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Legal/Courtroom Program.
Judge Mathis is produced by Telepictures Productions and Syndicated Productions, while distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. The courtroom series is filmed in front of a studio audience at the NBC Tower in Chicago, but includes cases and litigants from other U.S. jurisdictions.
Of the court shows currently in production, Judge Mathis is the third longest running, behind only Divorce Court and The People's Court, respectively. Of the 3 court shows, however, only Judge Mathis has had a continuous series run, never suspended by series cancellations/revival reincarnations.

I don't know about any court shows in Chicago but Judge Judy is filmed in LA, California. Remember last week when they had the earth quake? They showed a scene being filmed from her show. I read an article on the show and it has been a while ago but it stated that the "show" pays all the traveling expences and the people wanting their cases heard have to except a "payment", no matter which side wins! So I am not sure if they even get the "settlement" that Judge Judy awards them. I heard they have to agree on a "set" amount to be paid! This has been a while ago so everything may have changed by now. I hope this has been of, at least, a little bit of help to you.

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A Michigan woman and her son recently traveled to Chicago so the woman could plead for help from Judge Greg Mathis. The woman had sued her son for $100, but she really just wanted to get him into rehab for his heroin addiction.

He ended up leaving the courtroom set in a huff as Mathis lectured him about taking responsibility for his actions. Mathis told the woman he would send her son to rehab on his show’s dime only when the young man was ready. She seemed defeated.

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“Every taping day for the last few years, certainly last season, we've had a person addicted to opioids come on the show, and we attempt to assist the addict and the family,” Mathis later told the Tribune in a phone interview. “We’ll continue to try and do our part in addressing that epidemic.”

Mathis has heard thousands of small claims disputes since his show began taping in NBC Tower in 1999. In recent years, he has focused on using his syndicated show’s platform to send opioid addicts to rehab and bring families together through paternity testing. With the 20th season of “Judge Mathis” set to premiere Monday, Mathis recalled standout moments from the show and looked to the future.

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Not only is Mathis the longest-serving African-American television arbitrator and TV's second-longest-serving judge, behind Judge Judy Sheindlin, he also has outlasted his daytime TV colleagues in NBC Tower. “The Jenny Jones Show” and “Judge Jeanine Pirro” got the axe years ago; Jerry Springer and Steve Wilkos moved their shows to Connecticut nearly a decade ago to take advantage of tax credits; and Steve Harvey pulled up stakes for Los Angeles last year to attract more celebrity guests.

“I've thought about (moving from Chicago), only because it was suggested that we perhaps move to Los Angeles like the other television shows are, whatever the other reasons might have been, but I protested vehemently. I didn't want to interrupt the success. I felt that it was working well, so why disturb that? Secondly, I just love Chicago a lot more than Los Angeles,” said Mathis, who is based in his home state of Michigan and stays at an apartment that overlooks Navy Pier when he’s in Chicago.

The show is also a success because Mathis, 58, inspires the litigants through a mix of humor and empathy. When the mother of the Michigan heroin addict made excuses for her son, Mathis told her how he turned his life around. He got into drugs and carried a gun at a young age, but committed to change when he learned his mother was dying of colon cancer.

He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Michigan University and a law degree from the University of Detroit. He served as a district court judge in Michigan before the show launched.

Mathis said he surveyed the daytime TV landscape at the time and predicted his show would last only three years. He credits WCIU-Ch. 26, which airs new episodes of “Judge Mathis” at 3 p.m. weekdays and re-runs at 2 p.m. weekdays, for its support. A WCIU representative would not disclose ratings information to the Tribune.

In April, the show won its first-ever Daytime Emmy for outstanding legal/courtroom program. That award has gone to “Judge Judy” and “The People’s Court” in recent years. Mathis said he was so surprised by the win, he didn’t have a speech prepared.

Bo Banks, who joined the show as an executive producer in 2002, said it was “truly amazing” the program earned that recognition. The Virginia native, who is now based in Chicago, said her team works hard to find relatable and entertaining cases to keep the show fresh. About 5,000 cases, from courthouses around the country and submissions from viewers, are reviewed each week.

Mathis said most of the litigants are undereducated, underemployed or unemployed people who react in destructive ways when they are under financial or social stress. The show pays for travel to Chicago, lodging and a small stipend for those picked to appear before the judge, which seems to be standard procedure for daytime TV shows.

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Mathis hears 10-12 cases per filming day. Filming takes places three days a week, every other week from April to November. The litigants enter the second-floor courtroom studio separately and plead their cases in front of an audience of about 60 people. Bailiff Doyle Devereux, who lives in Hinsdale, keeps the crowd entertained during breaks between cases.

When asked about his favorite moments from the show, Mathis recalled a former gang member who overcame abuse from a family member to earn his associate’s degree and become a youth minister; and a pair of brothers who completed rehab for drug addiction after their mother begged Mathis for help.

Mathis offered rehab to 22 litigants last season; 10 took him up on the offer. Show representatives do not disclose how much rehab and DNA tests cost the show. Paternity testing has long been a staple of daytime TV, but Mathis said his team is committed to tracking down potential fathers and providing counseling to the family — unlike other shows that have sensationalized paternity results.

Mathis, who flirted with a Congressional run earlier this year, said the direction the show has taken provides him with new fulfillment, and he’d like to do this job for as long as he can. “It’s really not up to me. It’s up to the viewers. I enjoy what we do, particularly the last several years, when we were able to focus a lot more and put more resources — thanks to Warner Brothers and Telepictures — toward changing lives,” Mathis said.

He may have one more success to add to his list. Banks said the Michigan heroin addict called days after he taped the show to say he wants to go to rehab.

“Let's hope that rehab sticks. Rehab is a tough thing. People go like four, five, six times sometimes before it works, and so we're going to start him with 30 days and see what happens. But if he’s sincere about it, then he’ll call and say he needs more. Hopefully he will be,” Banks said.

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