Judge Judy is quick with the putdowns, but in the syndication ratings released today, her show is the only first-run syndicated program that’s up year-to-year. “Wheel of Fortune” had the highest average rating for the 2007-08 season.

In its 12th season, “Judge Judy” increased its household ratings by 4% to a 4.9, the sole first-run syndie program to do so. Claiming the No. 2 spot among court shows, “Judge Joe Brown” fell 7% to a 2.7. Both are distributed by CBS Television Distribution.

Court show rookie “Judge David Young” ended the year with a 0.9, while first-year “Jury Duty” ranked last in the genre with a 0.3.

In the talk show arena, “Oprah” still reigned as queen, but she slid 14% to a 5.5. CBS stablemate “Dr. Phil” dipped 8% to a 4.6. “Phil” and “Oprah” has the smallest gap between first and second place in the syndication genres.

“Live With Regis and Kelly” dropped 12% to a 2.9, while fourth-place talker “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” was steady from last year with a 2.2. First-year “The Morning Show With Mike and Juliet” ended its season with a 1.0, while “The Steve Wilkos Show” brought in a 0.9.

“Morning” and “Wilkos” weren’t far off the pace from “Martha Stewart” (1.0, down 29%) and “The Tyra Banks Show” (1.1, down 21%).

For magazine shows, celebrity scandals were far more plentiful last season than this one, with the custody battle over Anne Nicole Smith’s son and the incarceration of Paris Hilton. “Entertainment Tonight” (4.7, down 13%), “Inside Edition” (3.3, down 6%) and “Access Hollywood” (2.4, down 11%) topped the genre.

Newcomer “TMZ” averaged a 2.1, ahead of fellow Warner Bros. show “Extra” at a 1.8 (down 18%).

In the game show genre, “Wheel of Fortune” (7.7, down 7%) and “Jeopardy!” (6.3, down 5%) continued their dominance. First-year “Crosswords” placed a lackluster 0.8 rating, while “Temptation” clunked with a 0.5. Distributor 20th Century Fox hasn’t committed to bringing back “Temptation” for a second season, a bad sign for the show this late in the year.