Am I the only one who thinks that the “Hot Bench” bailiff, Sonja Montejano, usually looks drowsy or very bored?
I’ve watched a TON of court TV, and she is the only bailiff who always stands in a very casual, relaxed position, and often twiddles with her fingers.
Now we can say all we want how Sonja Montejano has 20 years of experience in real-life law enforcement, and how she’s the only court TV bailiff to have appeared in two court TV shows.
But her past real-life experience is not relevant to what is clearly seen on “Hot Bench.”
Shouldn’t a bailiff stand with their feet shoulder-length (give or take) apart, hands behind back, or arms in front and straight, one hand over the other, like we typically see security guards in courtroom TV dramas doing?
Instead, her posture is sleepy and not “bailiffy.” Often, when the camera is on her from her right side, her waist/torso is swiveling – which makes her come across as bored and day-dreaming.
And what’s up with all the finger twiddling?
Even a five-year-old doesn’t twiddle with their fingers this much.
Why was Sonja Montejano chosen for this job? Is it because she used to have a real-life career in law enforcement? Is it because she was the bailiff on the Judge Joe Brown show (which I’ve never seen)?
Is it because it’s something of a novelty for the bailiff to be female and taller than most of the litigants?
A ton of people can do her job. Why was SHE selected? Judge Judy Scheindlin created “Hot Bench,” and I wonder if Judge Judy’s the one who hired her, simply because, “Oooh, she was on ‘Judge Joe Brown,’ so that must mean nobody ELSE could do this job for ‘Hot Bench’”!
Really, I’d love to know the reasoning behind hiring Sleepy Sonja for bailiff.
Her drab, monotone voice when she announces when the court is back in session certainly doesn’t help.
I’m not saying that a bailiff needs to be dramatic or stand in an intimidating pose, but if we compare Sonja Montejano to other court TV bailiffs, it’s very evident that she’s the only one who looks bored and tired on the job.