Key Points
- Court TV has implemented significant layoffs and programming changes one month after its acquisition by Jellysmack, the owner of Law&Crime Network.
- Several anchors and staff members were let go as the network reduced its live programming lineup and shifted operations from Atlanta to New York.
- The revamped schedule will focus primarily on live trial coverage and reruns of legal and true crime programs.
Court TV has moved forward with sweeping job cuts, one month after the network was sold by the E. W. Scripps Company to Law&Crime Network owner Jellysmack.
This week, the legal affairs channel began implementing significant changes to its on-air schedule, eliminating all but a handful of live programs and letting go of several recognizable anchors, hosts and contributors.
One of the shows ended this week was “Opening Statements,” hosted by Julie Grant, who announced her departure from the network on Wednesday. Matt Johnson, a crime and justice correspondent who anchored some of Court TV’s live trial coverage, is also leaving as part of the transition.
Around two dozen behind-the-scenes workers ended their final shifts on Wednesday, just hours before the network’s main programming feed was set to transition to Law&Crime Network’s operations in New York City. Around two dozen more workers will continue working for Court TV over the next month in support-related roles while the rest of the network moves out of Scripps’ Atlanta broadcast facilities.
The new schedule for Court TV offers a more-limited line-up of fresh programming throughout the day, with most of its daypart occupied by live trial coverage from criminal and civil cases where its cameras are allowed in the courtroom.
A heartfelt farewell 🤍 pic.twitter.com/pmH5ATm2y4
— Julie Grant (@JulieGrantTV) March 11, 2026
⚖️🙏Grateful for my time at Court TV Network as a Crime & Justice Correspondent.
— Matt Johnson (@MattJohnsonNEWS) March 11, 2026
It’s been an honor to break down complex cases, chase down answers, and help viewers better understand the justice system.
Thank you for welcoming me into your homes. We are a family. pic.twitter.com/GpfKb4wUno
Vinnie Politan, Court TV’s lead anchor, is staying at the network through the transition and will continue to host his prime-time legal affairs wrap-up show during the week. Politan served as a correspondent for the first iteration of Court TV when it was owned by Warner Bros Discovery (then Time Warner), and rejoined the network in 2019 shortly after the E. W. Scripps Company announced its intention to relaunch the channel on broadcast and streaming.
The rest of the schedule will be occupied by re-runs of legal affairs and true crime documentaries, including “Someone They Knew with Tamron Hall,” “Accomplice to Murder” and the CBS news magazine program “48 Hours.”
The acquisition of Court TV was largely intended to give Law&Crime Network additional material from the channel’s decades-deep library of criminal and civil trials, which will be repurposed into content primarily aimed at social media audiences, an executive with the channel confirmed last month.
Law&Crime Network produces live streams of criminal trials for its YouTube page, where its streams and clips have attracted millions of followers.
“They are this iconic legacy brand that has so much recognition, especially in the court and legal space,” Rachel Stockman, the President of Law&Crime Network, said on a podcast. “We saw it as a great synergy and a way to really help continue to build out the Law&Crime business.”
Court TV will continue to be distributed by Scripps on its over-the-air broadcast stations, where it is coupled with other Scripps-owned multicast networks like Ion, Bounce and Laff. The distribution agreement between Scripps and Jellysmack lasts for at least three years, during which the linear feed and an associated one called Court TV Legendary Trials will also be available on free streaming platforms like Plex and Pluto TV.
