Nancy Grace is now in session

Nancy Grace may be TV's newest daytime judge, but don't expect her to swing a gavel or slip into a black robe.

Any of the 900,000 viewers who watch her self-titled show on CNN offshoot HLN know that her cello-pitched twang is more powerful than banging on a table and that one of her scowls is darker and more intimidating than any formalwear. But Grace insists that her new syndicated show, "Swift Justice," debuting Monday on KMSP, Channel 9, will reveal a side of herself that may surprise people who know her only as a no-nonsense crusader for victims' rights.

"On the HLN show, we're dealing almost exclusively with homicides and missing children, so there's not a lot to make you smile," said Grace, who has been known to scold guests who dare to crack a joke or chuckle during an interview. "But here, there will be cases that make you laugh. It's a whole new world for me. I love it."

One thing won't be different: Grace, 50, will still be in charge, and anyone who doesn't agree that she's the sharpest legal mind since Perry Mason should be disbarred from civilized society. In the series, Grace will play judge, jury, prosecutor and defense attorney on a set seemingly inspired by the USS Enterprise, arbitrating cases about hoarding, gambling, vicious dogs and infidelity, each in less than a half-hour.

So what makes her so much better at unmasking liars, con men and crooks than the rest of us mere mortals?

"Practice, practice, practice," said Grace, a former prosecutor in Georgia. "In the beginning, I was duped many times in court. It took me a long time. Sometimes they still get one over on me. But I got to a point where I could read a police report and know that something wasn't right. I know something's wrong when people don't look me in the eye. On one of the new shows, there's a litigant who would kick his right foot out to one side every time I started asking questions. He was sweating like a horse. There are times people break down and tell me the truth. I don't know why they do that. I guess I've developed a sixth sense on these things."

Grace doesn't have a perfect record. She swore up and down that the Duke lacrosse players were guilty of rape -- until the case was dropped. She has a habit of convicting high-profile suspects long before their day in court. History would suggest that alleged victims would have a huge advantage on the new program. Not so, Grace said: "I don't think I'm biased. Before I go on the set, I read the case from this huge binder, and about 35 percent of the time, I end up changing my mind after I hear from the litigants. I think I look for the truth in every situation."

Can Grace truly set her "sic 'em" instincts aside and conduct a fair-and-balanced trial?

The jury, as they say, is still out.