Judge Judy Sheindlin

Background

Judith Susan Sheindlin Blum is perhaps America’s favorite judge. Her tough stance and no-nonsense attitude have led her to a career that has spanned over 25 years. Blum was born in Brooklyn, New York. The Libra is of German, Jewish, and Russian descent. Graduating from the American University in Washington, D.C, Blum went on to get her law degree at the New York Law School (1995). After passing her bar exam (1965), she went on to work as a corporate lawyer, then as a New York prosecutor, where she worked on cases that included juvenile court and child abuse. After becoming a criminal court judge (1982), Blum landed a promotion as a supervising judge in family court. What started as an article in the “Los Angeles Times” in 1993, ended up kickstarting the judge’s television career.

Blum was so impressive during her appearance on C.B.S’s “60 minutes,” that she eventually got her own reality court show, “Judge Judy” (1996). The show, which ran for 25 seasons, saw Blum preside over real cases. Blum soon made it to “Forbes” 2007’s list of the top 20 richest women in entertainment. She was then voted as one of the most trusted judges in the U.S. through a poll in “Reader’s Digest” (2013). After wrapping up the original show, a spin-off of “Judge Judy” was released in 2021. “Judy Justice” sees the famous judge in another courtroom series.

Blum has also authored several books, including “Don’t Pee on My Leg and Tell Me It’s Raining” (1996), as well as “Beauty Fades, Dumb is Forever” (1999). As for her love life, Blum was married from 1964 to 1976, to prosecutor Ronald Levy, with whom she has two kids, Jamie and Adam. She later married Judge Jerry Sheindlin (1977), whom she divorced in 1990 and remarried after a year.