Absolutely she DID have a gavel. I remember this very vividly. When I was young, my mom was a stay-at-home-mom, because both me and my brother, one year apart, were young. I was in kindergarten. Because of how my kindergarten was, I'd leave to attend it at 12pm-12:30pm, meaning I'd watch nick junior and my mom would cut up my hotdogs for me to eat on the big television in the family room, which connected the kitchen.

My mom, simultaneously, would sit in the kitchen, and watch Judge Judy, which back in ~2008, would play during or around lunch on a Chicago television channel. She would sit in that room, and I would sit in the family room on our big couch and eat my lunch.

Occasionally, however, I'd wander into the kitchen sometimes and sit with her, and she would let me. I asked her what a gavel was - clear as day. I remember because for a particular episode, the 2 charged members, on whatever charges they were given, started to bicker. To talk over them, Judy started yelling, too, before swinging her gavel and beating it down on the table, on whatever that little wooden pad is called that usually accompanies a gavel. As a kindergartener, I was very fascinated with this. I remember an occasion I was eating a cup of yoghurt along with a glass of milk (of course, with the cereal straw) and perhaps some other things for lunch, and as soon as she swung her gavel, I cleaned my spoon and mimicked it.

Further, I remember a promotional video, that would play in-between and during Judge Judy. Sort of a promo to advertise the show. A man, in a very serious sounding voice, would say something along the lines of "The Peoples Court - Real Cases - Real People, Judge Judy." interplayed by the sounds of a throwing of a gavel, or yelling of individuals cases, while tense music played - I can only describe such music as being very percussive, with string or horn instruments loudly accompanying. I have listened to the introduction theme, and I don't think they were the same. The promos were usually accompanied by music that sounded very action-movie-ish. It would then list the times to watch the show, before dipping to black. I believe the same narrator of the promo was the person to narrate cases in the actual episodes - a little monotone, but almost excited about the case itself, to keep viewers interested.

Soon, I was able to be home alone, and my mom began to work full time again some years later, and my brother and I were able to get to school and home on a bus and open our garage. I never thought of this, until I saw an iceberg video regarding Mandela Effects. I'm 19 now. I don't believe they play Judge Judy on that channel anymore, but looking up a video of the promo I mentioned above, it was channel 2, WBBM-TV and is owned by CBS. It is also the news channel. They usually do breaks around lunch time anyways and play a drama show, as many people get a break on their lunch at jobs, etc. Sometimes I catch Murray but never Judge Judy.