Twentieth Television has confirmed it is moving forward with its new court strip “Judge Alex,” having cleared the program in 65 percent of the country for a fall 2005 national launch, with another 15 percent of the country in final negotiations. The announcement was made Wednesday by Bob Cook, president and chief operating officer of Twentieth Television.

Stations clearing “Judge Alex” include KABB-TV and KRRT-TV in San Antonio; WUTV and WNYL-TV in Buffalo, N.Y.; WGNT-TV in Norfolk, Va.; WSMH-TV in Flint, Mich.; WACH-TV in Columbia, S.C.; WAZE-TV in Evansville, Ind.; and KOCB-TV and KOKH-TV in Oklahoma City.

The first new court show in four years, “Judge Alex” will feature Judge Alex Ferrer, a Cuban native who was a law enforcement officer before becoming a lawyer and a judge. The program will be executive produced by Karen Melamed, Burt Wheeler and Sharon Sussman.