Judy Sheindlin

Judith Sheindlin

For court show & person on screen, 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. She got her first divorce after her father passed away. She later married the same man, citing stress over her father's death caused the divorce. She became a juvenille court prosecutor in 1972 and quickly develeped a reputation as a no-nonsense lawyer.

Private life

Judith Sheindlin and her mother 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, in 1990 (whom she was very close with), out on Jerry. She has stated to litigants on her show, that it is easier for people to express angry emotions over sad emotions when they lose someone that's close to them. She explained how that was the reason why some people behave angrily rather than sadly when their loved ones have passed away. On the show, Sheindlin occassionally recites catchphrases and sayings that she says her father came up with or frequently used. She and her first husband, Ronald Levy, were married in 1964 and divorced in 1976. 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.

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

Salary

It was reported in 2005 that Judge Judy earned $30 million per year. During the beginning of her tenth season, in October of 2005, she signed an extra four-year, $100 million contract. The signing of this contract has made her one of the highest paid women in television history, with the highest being Oprah Winfrey who earns $250 million. Because of her hundred million dollar contract, Sheindlin's net worth is $95 million.

Facts

• It was reported that, at least at one point in time, a vice of Judith Sheindlin's was smoking. It was also reported in June of 2007, that Sheindlin helped her celebrity friend, Samuel L. Jackson, quit smoking.

• Judith Sheindlin stands at only 5'2

• Sheindlin has indicated many times that she is not the same person she is while presiding over cases on her smash hit television courtroom show 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. . In viewing a clip of herself on her show, while on the The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Ms. Sheindlin even commented, "Who is that woman? She's so nasty. I can hardly believe myself sometimes." Throughout her visit on the episode, Sheindlin was very polite and even gracious, as she offered Ellen's mother a free invitation into her courtroom audience. Ellen had brought up that her mother (who was not in attendance), was a huge fan of Sheindlin's court show. She was also seen blowing kisses to Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, and Simon Cowell, when she paid a visit to American Idol in May of 2007. In addition to this, many who have met Sheindlin in person, have said that she's very warm and soft-spoken.

• 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.

• Judith Sheindlin has backed same-sex marriage. Sheindlin has stated that she doesn't understand how there are issues with homosexuality. She's stated that there are much more serious matters for people to invest their time and energy in and try to put an end to.

• In early October of 2007, Judge Judy appeared in an interview with KCBS television. She was interviewed on a current event matter in which pop singer, Britney Spears, lost her children to her ex-husband Kevin Federline. In the interview, Sheindlin explains how Britney Spears has behaved very irresponsibly in the past year, and how the two parents, Britney in particular, need to grow up. [2]

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. [3] [4]. In late September of 2007, Ms. Sheindlin appeared on Live with Regis and Kelly.

Judge Judy

Main article: Judge Judy

Judge Judy is a successful courtroom series that has made Judith Sheindlin a popular celebrity judge, most known for her humorous sassiness and aggressively stern, no-nonsense attitude.

Sheindlin had considered retiring from her show once she had reached her tenth season in syndication, which was in 2005-2006. However, Sheindlin signed a four-year contract in late 2005, and stated her reasons for doing so: "I'm certainly not tired, I'm not bored, and I'm not burned out. If I said goodbye after ten years, because the public said 'Enough', I would have been fine. I think the public is still interested. And I hope I'll be smart enough to know, at the end of four years, to say whether it's time to go."

Since then, Sheindlin has had discussions about how much longer she wants to do the show. Sheindlin has stated that she is attached to her court show but still doesn't know what she will do after that time. Her producers, on the other hand, want her for another ten years, believing the court show could work for that much longer. However, Sheindlin has stated that she wants to end the show before it gets stale.

Judge Judy commented on Larry King Live that she doesn't intend to use her power as a successful TV personality to force the producers of her syndicated TV show to tape from New York. Taping from New York would make it easier for Sheindlin, as it is one of the cities in which she resides. However, Sheindlin explains, "There are so many people attached to my program, who I rely on, who live out there. They have young children. They have homes. They have family. It's easier for one person to make that trip every other week or so, than it is to uproot those people."

September of 1996 was the debut of this program. The popularity of Judge Judy has become part of America's popular culture, and she has been nominated ten 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, NBC version of The Weakest Link hosted by Anne Robinson, My Wife and Kids, Judge Mathis, Back To You, and on the Academy Awards.

Judge Judy's "Justice with an Attitude" tagline has been spoofed by the Judge David Young court show's tagline, which is "Justice with a Snap." 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. He added that she scares him on her program.

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. [5] [6] [7]

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