Judith Sheindlin

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Judith Sheindlin bigraphy, stories - American judge

Judith Sheindlin : biography

21 October 1942 – February 10th 2012

Judith Sheindlin, better known as Judge Judy (born October 21, 1942), is an American lawyer, judge, television personality, and author. Since 1996, Sheindlin has presided over her own successful Daytime Emmy Award winning reality courtroom series named after her, Judge Judy.

Sheindlin passed the New York bar examination in 1965, and became a prosecutor in the family court system. In 1982 Mayor Ed Koch appointed her as a judge, first in criminal court, then later as Manhattan’s supervising family court judge in 1986.

It was reported in mid-2012 that Sheindlin is the highest paid television personality, making $123,000 per episode of Judge Judy, which amounts to $45 million annually for the 52 days she tapes her show a year.

Legal career

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. 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. In her role as a lawyer, Sheindlin prosecuted child abuse cases, domestic violence, and juvenile crime.

By 1982, Sheindlin’s no-nonsense attitude inspired New York Mayor, Ed Koch, to appoint her as a judge in criminal court. Four years later, she was promoted to supervising judge in the Manhattan division of the family court. She earned a reputation as a "tough" judge (though she has disagreed with the labels "tough" and "harsh"), known for her fast decision-making and acerbic wit.

In February 1993, Sheindlin’s outspoken reputation made her the subject of a Los Angeles Times article, profiling her as a woman determined to make the court system work for the common good. She subsequently was featured in a segment on CBS’s 60 Minutes, bringing her national recognition. 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 family court judge that same year after hearing over 20,000 cases. After her retirement, Sheindlin continued to receive increasing amounts of public attention.

Other media

Other entertainment industry work

Since the success of Sheindlin’s courtroom series, she’s been interviewed on numerous talk shows and cable news programs, such as Larry King Live, The View, Katie, Donny & Marie, The Talk, The Tonight Show, Dateline NBC, 20/20, etc. On October 17, 1998, Sheindlin made a surprise guest appearance on Saturday Night Live, comedically interrupting one of Cheri Oteri’s regular parodies of her presiding on Judge Judy. Also as a result of her Judge Judy show stardom, she served as a judge for the 1999 Miss America Pageant. Early on in her celebrity on February 21, 2000, the Biography program aired a documentary film on Sheindlin, "Judge Judy: Sitting in Judgment" (later released on home video). This 60-minute documentary captured Sheindlin’s entire life story (dating back to her childhood), legal career, authoring career, entertainment career, etc. The special also featured input from those closest to Sheindlin and those who knew her best.http://tv.nytimes.com/show/52248/Judge-Judy-Sitting-in-Judgment/overview More recently on December 23, 2008, Sheindlin shared revealing secrets about her life on Shatner’s Raw Nerve, in which she was presumptuously interviewed by William Shatner. A year later in December 2009, Sheindlin again told the story of her life, legal career, authoring career, and entertainment courtroom career from an updated perspective in a two-hour interview for Archive of American Television.

Publications

Sheindlin has authored six books. Her career as an author began prior to her courtroom series. Her most recent book, which hit shelves on April 25, 2013, was inspired by one of her advisory catch phrases encouraging romantic partners to be judicious with regards to domestic partnerships. This catch phrase is: “There is no Court of People Just Living Together.” Sheindlin’s six books are as follows: