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Judy Sheindlin

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This article is about the individual. For the television series, see Judge Judy.
Judith Sheindlin
File:0512.PDNEXPO.judy.jpg
Sheindlin in 2010
Born
Judith Susan Blum

(1942-10-21) October 21, 1942 (age 82)
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Other namesJudge Judy
Judy
Occupation(s)Lawyer, judge, television personality, arbitrator
Years active
Attorney:
1965-present
Judge:
1982–1996
Television personality:
1996–present
Known forJudge Judy (1996–present)
Spouse(s)Ronald Levy (1964–1976)
(divorced)
Jerry Sheindlin (1977–1990; divorced, remarried 1991–present)

Judith Sheindlin (born October 21, 1942), better known as Judge Judy, is an American lawyer, judge, television personality, and author. She passed the New York Bar examination in 1965, and became a prosecutor in the family court system. In 1982 Mayor Ed Koch appointed her a judge, first in criminal court, then later in 1986 as Manhattan's supervising family court judge. She was featured on CBS's 60 Minutes in the 1990s as a result of her reputation as a tough judge.

Since retiring in 1996, Sheindlin has garnered much fame for presiding over her own syndicated courtroom show, Judge Judy; the show's ratings consistently have ranked high.[1]

Early life and education

Sheindlin was born Judith Susan Blum in Brooklyn, New York,[2] to German-Jewish parents, Murray, a dentist, and Ethel Blum. Her brother, David, is also a dentist. She still speaks with a marked Brooklyn accent.

Sheindlin has described her father as "the greatest thing since sliced bread", and her mother as "a meat-and-potatoes kind of gal."[3]

Sheindlin attended James Madison High School in Brooklyn before going on to American University in Washington, D.C., where she majored in government.[2] She then enrolled at the Washington College of Law at American University where she was the only woman in a class of 126 students.[2] She finished her law school education at New York Law School, where she graduated in 1965.[4]

Marriages and family

In 1963 Sheindlin married Ronald Levy, who later became a prosecutor in juvenile court; they divorced in 1976.

In 1977 she married Jerry Sheindlin, a judge and also a divorcé. They divorced in 1990, but remarried in 1991. Judy Sheindlin has said that the cause of the split was the stress caused by the recent death of her father, with whom she had a close relationship. On The Tonight Show she told Jay Leno the divorce also was because she was frustrated that she could not change her husband, Jerry, by forcing him to do, and be, what she wanted. The Sheindlins have five children between the two of them: Gregory, Jamie, Jonathan, Adam, and Nicole, as well as eleven grandchildren.

Sheindlin passed the New York Bar Exam in 1965, the same year as her graduation, and was hired as a corporate lawyer for a cosmetics firm.[2] Within two years she became dissatisfied with her job and left to raise her two children. She was soon made aware of a position in the New York court system as a prosecutor in the family courts.[2] In her role as a lawyer Sheindlin prosecuted child abuse cases, domestic violence, and juvenile crime.[2]

By 1982 Sheindlin's no-nonsense[2] attitude inspired New York Mayor, Ed Koch, to appoint her as a judge in criminal court.[2] Four years later she was promoted to supervising judge in the Manhattan division of the family court.[2] She earned a reputation as a tough judge, notorious for fast decision-making and wise-cracking judgments.[3]

In February 1993 Sheindlin's outspoken reputation made her the subject of a Los Angeles Times article,[5] profiling her as a woman determined to make the court system work for the common good.[2] She subsequently was featured in a segment on CBS's 60 Minutes, bringing her national recognition.[2] This led to her first book, Don't Pee on My Leg and Tell Me It's Raining, published in 1996. She retired as a criminal court judge that same year after hearing over 20,000 cases.[2] After her retirement, Sheindlin continued to receive increasing amounts of public attention.[2]

Judge Judy

Main article: Judge Judy
Judge Judy stands next to a portrait of herself

Not long after her retirement in 1996, Sheindlin was approached by Big Ticket Television about a possible courtroom television program, featuring real cases with real rulings.[4] She accepted the offer.

Sheindlin's syndicated courtroom series Judge Judy debuted on September 16, 1996.[4] The show met with instant success and made Sheindlin a celebrity, known for her strict, no-nonsense attitude and "wit".[4] The program has been the number one court show since its debut,[6] the only original show on television to increase its ratings yearly,[6] and has integrated itself into American pop culture.[4]

The show's ratings have been very high, averaging approximately 10 million viewers daily.[1] It is especially popular among female viewers between the ages of 25 and 54.[7] Author Brendan I. Koerner commented on why Judge Judy is so popular:

Court-show viewers don't seem to want moral conundrums or technical wrinkles. They love Sheindlin's show because she offers them a fantasy of how they'd like the justice system to operate—swiftly, and without procedural mishaps or uppity lawyers. They get to see wrongdoers publicly humiliated by a strong authority figure. There is no uncertainty after Sheindlin renders her verdict and bounds off the bench, and there certainly are no lengthy appeals.[7]

Sheindlin resides in Connecticut[8] and New York,[9] and travels to Florida in the winter.[10] She commutes to Los Angeles every other week for two to four days to tape episodes of Judge Judy.[6][9] Sheindlin extended her contract through 2012–13 (its 17th season)[11] due to high ratings as well as her belief that people are still engaged in the program.[11] Sheindlin admits the show is "seductive" and hard to give up. Said Sheindlin, "I'm not tired. I still feel engaged by what I do and I still have people who like to watch it."[6]

In 2005 Sheindlin's salary was US$25 million per year.[7] Her net worth at the beginning of 2007 was $95 million and she ranked number 13 on the Forbes magazine top 20 richest women in entertainment.[12] In February 2006, Sheindlin received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[13] As a result of her stardom, she served as a judge for the 1999 Miss America Pageant.[14] References to Sheindlin as Judge Judy have appeared on TV shows including Will & Grace, NBC's The Weakest Link, The Practice and the Academy Awards, as well as the book "America: A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction" by Jon Stewart.;[4] she has also appeared in numerous cable news interviews.[14] In December 2009 Sheindlin told the story of her life and career in Family Court, as well as "Judge Judy" and her published works in a two-hour interview for the Archive of American Television. In July 2010 Sheindlin's contract was renewed, so she now will receive $45 million per year to tape her show, which is currently the top rated daytime show in the US.[15]

Sheindlin was parodied on Saturday Night Live by Cheri Oteri several different times during Oteri's stint on the show, once in which Sheindlin herself appeared briefly in an unannounced cameo appearance.

On March 30, 2011, Sheindlin was admitted to hospital after she fainted on the set of her TV show. She was released from hospital the next day, and it is not known what caused her to faint.[16]

Bibliography

  • Sheindlin, Judith (1996). Don't Pee on My Leg and Tell Me It's Raining. Harper Collins. ISBN 0060927941.
  • Sheindlin, Judith (1999). Beauty Fades, Dumb is Forever. Harper Paperbacks. ISBN 006092991X.
  • Sheindlin, Judith (2000). Keep It Simple, Stupid: You're Smarter Than You Look. Cliff Street Books. ISBN 0060195460.
  • Sheindlin, Judith (2000). Win or Lose by How You Choose. Harper Collins. ISBN 0060287802.
  • Sheindlin, Judith (2001). You're Smarter Than You Look: Uncomplicating Relationships in Complicated Times. Harper Paperbacks. ISBN 0060953764.


References

  1. ^ a b Leroux, Charles (December 24, 2008). "There's no justice like show justice". The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Judith (Judge Judy) Sheindlin Biography (1942-2010)". Biography, A&E Television Networks. Retrieved 2008-12-14.
  3. ^ a b Weldon, Fay (October 9, 2008). "Judy, madly, deeply". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2008-12-14.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Judge Judy". JudgeJudy.com. Retrieved 2008-12-23.
  5. ^ Getlin, Josh (1993-02-14). "Law and Disorder". Los Angeles Times.
  6. ^ a b c d Huff, Richard (January 29, 2008). "Judge Judy will keep warming bench". The New York Daily News. Retrieved 2008-12-23.
  7. ^ a b c Koerner, Brendan I (May 27, 2005). "Judge Judy". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2008-12-23.
  8. ^ Adams, Cindy (June 18, 2008). "Don't Judge Judy by her Pricey Digs". The New York Post. Retrieved 2008-12-23.
  9. ^ a b Leung, Rebecca (December 10, 2003). "Judge Judy". CBS. Retrieved 2008-12-23.
  10. ^ Paul O'Grady (host) (October 2008). Judge Judy on Paul O'Grady (Television production). United Kingdom: Granada Television. Retrieved 2008-12-23.
  11. ^ a b Krukowski, Andrew (January 25, 2009). "Tough but Fair, Judge Judy Rules". TV Week. Retrieved 2009-02-06.
  12. ^ Goldman, Lea and Kiri Blakeley (January 18, 2008). "In Pictures: The Richest 20 Women in Entertainment: Judith "Judge Judy" Sheindlin". Forbes magazine. Retrieved 2008-12-23.
  13. ^ "Judge Judy Sheindlin Hollywood Walk of Fame Ceremony Photo Gallery". Hollywood.com. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
  14. ^ a b "Judge Judy". WCHS-TV8. 2000. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
  15. ^ Bowles, Scott (July 17, 2010). "No one gets the best of her". USA Today.
  16. ^ "Judy home from hosp". New York Post. 2011-04-01.

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