Judy Sheindlin

Judith Sheindlin

For court show, see Judge Judy.

Judith Sheindlin (born October 21, 1942), also known as Judge Judy is an American family court clerk, author, and television personality. After retiring as the supervising Family Court judge in Manhattan, NY, in 1996, she became famous by presiding over her own syndicated court show, Judge Judy.

Biography

Sheindlin, who was born Judith Blum in Brooklyn to a Jewish-American family, attended James Madison High School, and then American University in Washington, D.C., graduating in 1963 and then went on to New York Law School, receiving her law degree in 1965, and practiced family law for many years in New York.

Private life

Judith Sheindlin had a domineering mother and the two didn't have a great relationship. It was said that they had an erratic relationship as they could be heated at one moment, and friendly and affectionate at another. Towards the end of her mother's life when she was very old, Judy made efforts to become closer with her mother. Judy Sheindlin has been married three times--twice to Jerry Sheindlin, her current husband. The divorce between Jerry and Judy took place because Judy took her frustrations, about her father's death (whom she was very close with), out on Jerry. She has stated to litigants on her show, that it is easier to express angry emotions over sad emotions, and that's why some people choose that emotion in place of being sad. She and her first husband, Ronald Levy, were married in 1964 and divorced in 1976. Sheindlin says it was because Levy demanded that Judy be a stay-at-home wife, but Ms. Sheindlin wanted to be a businesswoman. Judy and Jerry Sheindlin married a year later in 1977, were divorced in 1990, and remarried in 1991. For both Judy and Jerry, it was a second marriage, and between them they have five children and eleven grandchildren. Jerry Sheindlin performed the marriage ceremonies for all four of their married children independently. Judith Sheindlin has eleven grandkids. [2]

The Sheindlins co-own a yacht called "Her Honor," with their friends Denise and Brian Cobb, as featured in ShowBoats International magazine.

Facts

Judith Sheindlin has stated that her only vice is smoking. [3]

Sheindlin has indicated many times that she is not the same person she is while presiding over cases on her television courtroom or any courtroom. She has stated how she was never a tough mother or grandparent. In fact, she states that she even bribes her grandchildren. [4]. In viewing a clip of herself on her show, while on the The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Ms. Sheindlin commented, "who is that women? she's so nasty. I can hardly believe my self sometimes."

Although production of her TV show takes place in Los Angeles, Judy resides in Greenwich, Connecticut and Naples, Florida. She also maintains an apartment in New York City. She is flown to Los Angeles for the taping of the show via private jet.

Author

Even before she gained her TV show, her outspoken reputation made Sheindlin the subject of a Los Angeles Times article in February 1993. The piece caught the attention of 60 Minutes leading to a segment on the popular newsmagazine show, which brought her national recognition. This led to her first book, published in 1996 by Harper Collins which was entitled Don't Pee on My Leg and Tell Me It's Raining. Her second book, Beauty Fades, Dumb Is Forever was published in January 1999, which would later be a national bestseller. Two further books were published in 2000, Win or Lose by How You Choose — an illustrated children's book, as well as Keep It Simple, Stupid.

Appearances

Judge Judy has appeared on The View, American Idol, Saturday Night Live, Larry King Live, E!Entertainment’s, Celebrity Profile, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Rachael Ray (TV series) and in the New York Times, USA Today, TV Guide, Time, and Redbook. Sheindlin was awarded honorary Doctor of Law degrees from New York Law School and Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania. [5] [6].

Judge Judy

Main article: Judge Judy

In September 1996, her own television program, Judge Judy, debuted. The popularity of Judge Judy has become part of America's popular culture, and she has been nominated eight times for a Daytime Emmy award.

She has been parodied on and actually appeared on Saturday Night Live (with Cheri Oteri acting in the Judge Judy role). She's been mentioned on network TV shows such as Will & Grace and on the Academy Awards.

She has also been parodied on Nickelodeon's program The Amanda Show, in a sketch that has Amanda Bynes playing "Judge Trudy," who hears "cases" of children being treated "unfairly" by their parents. This sketch is also known for dancing lobsters. It had also been spoofed on the Disney Channel show That's So Raven with Judge Foody. She also was parodied in The Simpsons by the character Judge Constance Harm.

She was selected to serve as a judge for the 1999 Miss America Pageant. On May 8, 2007, Sheindlin appeared briefly on American Idol -- introduced as Judge Judy. She was teased by Ryan Seacrest about being like Simon Cowell.

In February 2006, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Controversy

On November 16 1999, while on a 2 week tour in Brisbane, Australia for her Beauty Fades, Dumb Is Forever book, Judge Judy sparked some controversy. In commenting on needle exchange programs to prevent disease, during a lunch time speech, she put down needle exchange advocates as "liberal morons." She also said, "no point talking about how best to approach the problem since the solution is simple. Give them dirty needles, and let them die. I don't understand why we think it's important to keep them alive." Though the audience in the Brisbane's Carlton Crest cheered, Judge Judy was slammed by many shortly afterwards. Some stated her comments were, "callous and deplorable." A chief executive of the Alcohol and Drug Foundation of Queensland stated through the Melbourne newspaper, "the arrogance of a TV celebrity using the tragedy of young lives struck down by drugs for her own commercial gain is nothing short of repulsive." In the United States, prominent liberal commentator, Arianna Huffington, slammed Judge Judy in her nationally syndicated column, with an editorial she titled "The New Callousness." An internet-based campaign directed toward the Judge Judy show's sponsors began to mount up. Three of Judge Judy's former sponsors, Herr's Potato Chips, Papa John's Pizza, and a joint venture of Shell Oil and Chase Manhattan Bank, replied via e-mail that they'd cease running ads on the Judge Judy show. At one point, activists in New York planned to protest Judge Judy's book for what she had said, but called the plans off after learning it was a children's book. The controversy also led to the launch of DumpJudgeJudy.com. Sheindlin made efforts to explain herself, releasing two public statements on her web site. She also made the statement to the press, "anybody who thinks that I would advocate the government supplying tainted needles to addicts is a fool - and that includes journalists with an agenda. What I do oppose is a policy, which even tacitly sends the message that we, as a society, approve or condone drug use and that includes free needles and a government sponsored place to shoot up." Sheindlin also told the New York Post, "If they're looking for me to say I'm sorry to the families who lost children or loved ones [to AIDS or drugs] -- absolutely. I feel badly if words that I used hurt them. But am I going to apologize to a [drug advocacy] group that has an agenda -- absolutely not. This group has an agenda, and that's legalizing drugs." Sheindlin added that she didn't remember her exact, original quote, but said it was changed or taken out of context. [7] [8] [9]

External links

• Judy Sheindlin at IMDb
• Judge Judith Sheindlin at the Notable Names Database
• Judge Judy marks 10 years laying down the law, CTV News, February 15, 2006