30 Facts Every Fan Should Know About Judge Judy – Judy Sheindlin

Judith Susan "Judy" Sheindlin, popularly known by the name “Judge Judy,” is a former American judge, lawyer, television personality, author, and a producer. Here are 30 interesting facts about her:

1. Sheindlin holds the prestigious Guinness World Records record of being the longest serving judge or arbitrator in a courtroom-themed program.
2. She is ranked at #13, in the list of Richest 20 Women in Entertainment by Forbes. (Judy Sheindlin (Judge Judy) Net worth: $47 million)
3. Her television show “Judge Judy,” as of 2017, has been the longest lasting individual production life of any court show.
4. Her reputation for being a “tough,” and “outspoken” judge, made her a subject of Los Angeles Times article in February 1993, in which she was profiled as a woman determined to make the court system for the common good.
5. Broadcasting & Cable inducted her in to its Hall of Fame, in October 2012 for her role in “Judge Judy.”
6. She is the most popular court show judge in the television history. She has been parodied on “The Amanda Show” as Judge Trudy, on “The Simpsons” and “Saturday Night Live” as Judge Constance Harm.
7. She started her career as a prosecutor in the family court system, after passing the New York state bar examination in the year 1965. She often prosecuted cases about domestic violence, child abuse and juvenile crime.
8. Since its debut on September 16, 1996, “Judge Judy,” has been the No. 1 rated court show, with a daily viewership of around 9 to 10 millions.
9. With her show “Judge Judy,” integrating itself into American Pop Culture, Sheindlin was named as one of the "200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons,” by VH1, in the year 2003.
10. In February 2006, she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for her performance in the “Judge Judy.”
    
11. She suffered a mini-stoke on March 30, 2011, while handling a case on the sets of her show, and was admitted to the hospital. She was released the next day.
12. After hearing more than 20,000 cases, she retired as a family court judge in the year 1996. Immediately she was approached with the offer to star in the new reality courtroom series that will feature “real cases with real rulings, which she accepted.
13. It is reported that she works just 52 days per year, with a salary of $900,000 per workday, which translates to $47 million per year.
14. On February 21, 2000, "Judge Judy: Sitting in Judgment" a documentary film on Sheindlin was aired by the Biography program, which captured her entire life story from her childhood days to her authoring career to her legal career,
15. Her show, “Judge Judy,” has earned her Gracie Allen Tribute Award from the Alliance for Women in Media.
16. Inspired by her no-nonsense attitude, she was appointed as a judge by New York City Mayor Ed Koch in the year 1982, serving first in criminal court. In 1986, she was promoted as the Manhattan's supervising family court judge.
17. In the 2009-10 television season, her reality courtroom show “Judge Judy,” became the highest rated show in all of daytime television, and also the first TV series to attract more daytime viewers in comparison to “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” in nearly a decade.
18. It is said that she originally wished her show’s title to be “Hot Bench,” however, the producers decided on “Judge Judy.”
19. A new court show, “Hot Bench,” conceived by her, that features a panel of three judges debating and deciding on cases, debuted on September 15, 2014. She said that during her visit to Ireland with her husband, she got to watch a three judge bench proceeding, which was compelling and fascinating, and that she thought it would be a unique idea for a TV program.
20. In April 2013, she was honored the Vice Presidency of the University College Dublin (UCD) Law Society.
    
21. Following the 1993 article in Los Angeles Time, she was featured in CBS’s “60 minutes,” which gave her the national recognition. This public attention continued to increase even after her retirement in the year 1996.
22. According to a 2013 poll by Reader’s Digest, it was Judge Judy that the Americans trusted more, in comparison to all nine justices of the United States Supreme Court.
23. She is the founder, director and the spokesperson for “Her Honor Mentoring Program,” an alliance with the mission to provide a platform for young women to strengthen their practical skills.
24. At the 2014 Heroes of Hollywood, the Hollywood Chamber Community Foundation awarded her with the Mary Pickford Award.
25. Sheindlin earned her Juris Doctor degree from the New York Law School in the year 1965, after graduating with a Bachelor of Arts from American University in Washington, D.C.
26. She authored her first book “Don't Pee on My Leg and Tell Me It's Raining,” was released shortly after her special segment on “60 minutes,” in 1996. Her second and third book “Beauty Fades, Dumb is Forever,” and “Keep It Simple, Stupid: You’re Smarter Than You Look,” published in 1999 and 2000, entered the New York Times Best Seller list, just as it released.
27. Her show “Judge Judy,” had been consecutively nominated for 14 years for Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Legal/Courtroom Program, since its first debut in the year 1996, without winning any as of 2011. It was on June 14, 2013, the show won the first Emmy award having received the 15th nomination.
28. She launched Whatwouldjudysay.com, an advice-sharing website, with the goal of sharing her personal ideas and outlooks on life.
29. The show “Judge Judy,” being aired from the year 1996 till date, has earned Sheindlin, the honorific of "Court Show Queen."
30. An autobiographical drama series titled “Her Honor,” on her life, was proposed by CBS on August 31, 2016, which was described to follow the youngest judge in New York.