Judy Sheindlin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Judy Sheindlin
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Sheindlin at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival
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Judith Susan Blum
October 21, 1942 |
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| Political party | Independent |
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| Children | 2 |
Judith Susan Sheindlin (born October 21, 1942), known as Judge Judy, is an American TV personality and former judge. She is famous for her court shows where she helps people solve legal problems.
For 25 years, from 1996 to 2021, Sheindlin starred in her popular TV show, Judge Judy. She became the longest-serving TV judge in history. This achievement earned her a spot in the Guinness World Records in 2015. In 2019, she received a special Emmy Award for her long career.
In November 2021, Sheindlin started a new show called Judy Justice. This show is available on a streaming service called Amazon Freevee. She continues to handle legal disagreements on this show. In 2022, Judy Justice won a Daytime Emmy Award. This made her the only TV judge to win this award for more than one show. She won three for Judge Judy and one for Judy Justice.
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Early Life and School Days
Sheindlin was born Judith Susan Blum in Brooklyn, New York. Her family had German Jewish and Russian Jewish backgrounds. She often spoke highly of her father, Murray, who was a dentist. Her mother, Ethel, worked as an office manager.
Sheindlin finished high school in Brooklyn in 1961. She then went to American University in Washington, D.C. There, she earned a degree in government in 1963. Later, she studied law at New York Law School and became a lawyer in 1965.
Becoming a Judge
After law school, Sheindlin worked as a lawyer for a cosmetics company. She soon left to focus on raising her two children. In 1972, she became a prosecutor in the New York family court system. This job involved handling cases related to families and children.
By 1982, her strong approach to justice led New York mayor Ed Koch to make her a criminal-court judge. Four years later, she was promoted to a supervising judge in the family court. She became known as a firm judge in New York City.
From Courtroom to TV Screen
In 1993, a newspaper article in the Los Angeles Times featured Sheindlin. The article described her as someone who wanted to make the court system fair for everyone. This led to her appearing on the CBS show 60 Minutes, which made her known across the country.
After gaining national attention, she wrote a book in 1996. That same year, she retired as a family-court judge. She had handled over 20,000 cases during her time as a judge.
The Judge Judy Show
In 1995, Sheindlin was offered a chance to star in a new TV show. This show would feature "real cases with real rulings." Her show, Judge Judy, started on September 16, 1996. It ran for 25 seasons, ending on July 23, 2021.
She was joined by her bailiff, Petri Byrd, known as "Byrd." Byrd had worked with Sheindlin in the Manhattan family court before the show. He became the longest-serving bailiff in TV court show history.
Throughout its 25 years, Judge Judy was the most-watched court show. It often had nine to ten million viewers every day. From 2009 until it ended in 2021, it was the highest-rated daytime TV show. People loved the show because Judge Judy offered quick and clear justice. She made decisions without long delays or complicated legal steps.
In 2013, a poll showed that Americans trusted Judge Judy more than the judges of the United States Supreme Court. Sheindlin was also named one of the 200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons by VH1 in 2003. Her show was mentioned in many other TV programs, like The Simpsons and Saturday Night Live.
The Judge Judy show brought Sheindlin many awards. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006. She was also inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame in 2012.
Judge Judy won its first Daytime Emmy Award in 2013. It won again in 2016 and 2017. Sheindlin once joked that winning an Emmy might "break the spell" of the show's success. She said many shows that won Emmys didn't last as long.
In 2015, Guinness World Records recognized Sheindlin. They named her the longest-serving judge in TV court show history. They also recognized Judge Judy as the longest-running court show.
Sheindlin earned a lot of money from the show. By 2008, her salary was about $45 million per year. She worked about 52 days a year, meaning she earned a lot for each workday. In 2017, she earned $147 million before taxes. She was known as the highest-paid TV star.
In 2010, Sheindlin thought about retiring. But she decided to continue because fans still wanted to watch. In March 2011, she had a small health issue on set but recovered quickly.
Her contract was extended several times. In March 2020, she announced that the show would end after its 25th season. The final new episode aired on June 8, 2021. The series finale, showing old clips, aired on July 23, 2021.
The Judy Justice Show
Judy Justice started on November 1, 2021. It is a new court show with Judge Judy, available on Amazon Freevee. This was the first time a regular court show aired new episodes only through streaming.
Judy Justice is seen as a more modern version of Judge Judy. It includes input from Sheindlin's granddaughter. The show also uses a stenographer to help with details. The courtroom set looks updated, and the cases can be more dramatic.
Sheindlin uses the same judging style, but she now looks deeper into case details. Most episodes focus on one long case. Her old show usually had two cases per episode and moved very quickly.
When the show was announced, some fans missed Bailiff Byrd. Kevin Rasco became the new bailiff for Judy Justice. Byrd later said he was surprised by the change. However, he wished Sheindlin well.
In April 2022, it was announced that Bailiff Byrd would appear in a new court show called Tribunal Justice. This show was also created by Sheindlin. It features other judges and Sheindlin's son, Adam Levy.
Even though reruns of Judge Judy were still very popular, Judy Justice set a record for streaming hours. Because of its success, it was given a second season, which started in November 2022. Sheindlin won another Emmy for Judy Justice, making her the only TV judge to win for two different shows.
Community Work
Sheindlin and her stepdaughter, Nicole Sheindlin, created "Her Honor Mentoring." This program helps young women grow and succeed.
In 2017, Sheindlin helped fund a place for public discussions at the University of Southern California. This space was made for people to share ideas freely.
Personal Life
In 1964, Judy married Ronald Levy. They had two children, Jamie and Adam. Her son Adam is now a co-star in Tribunal Justice. Judy and Ronald divorced in 1976.
In 1978, she married Judge Jerry Sheindlin. He later became a judge on The People's Court. Judy and Jerry divorced in 1990 but remarried in 1991. She has three stepchildren from Jerry's first marriage. She also has 13 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Sheindlin owns homes in several states, including New York, Florida, California, and Wyoming. For Judge Judy, she used to travel to Los Angeles every other week to film episodes.
Sheindlin has received honorary law degrees from two universities. In 2013, she was recognized by a law society in Ireland for her work in family law.
Sheindlin is an independent voter. She supports same-sex marriage and believes in stronger rules for gun ownership. She doesn't like to be labeled by political terms. In 2019, she supported Michael Bloomberg for president. In the 2024 election, she supported Nikki Haley.
Legal Disagreements
In 2013, Sheindlin was involved in a legal disagreement with the estranged wife of her show's executive producer. The issue was about some valuable household items. The matter was settled, and Sheindlin returned the items.
In 2014, Sheindlin filed a lawsuit against a lawyer who used her image in ads without permission. She said the ads made it seem like she supported his firm. Sheindlin stated that any money she won from the lawsuit would go to college scholarships through her "Her Honor Mentoring" program. The case was settled, and the lawyer donated money to her charity.
