Born on October 21, 1942, in Brooklyn, New York, Judith Sheindlin is an American family court judge and lawyer that stars on the CBS court show, Judge Judy. After graduating from Madison James High School in Brooklyn in 1959, Judith Sheindlin, then Judith Blum, went on to pursue a career in law, attending American University in Washington, D.C. and New York Law School. After earning her law degree in 1965, she continued on with her education and succeeded in earning her “Doctor of Law” degree from Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania. She was appointed as a judge in 1976, and has since earned the reputation of being one of America’s toughest and most outspoken judges of all time.

Judge Judy’s court show premiered on September 16, 1996, and is currently in its 14th season.

It has maintained high ratings throughout its run, resulting in 12 Emmy Award nominations as well as a TV Guide Award nomination. The show features Judge Judy as she resides over real life small claims cases chosen from viewers across the U.S. Not only has Judge Judy found success as a television judge, she has also found success as a writer. Her first book, Don’t Pee On My Leg and Tell Me It’s Raining, based on her opinion of the family court system, was published in 1996. She has since published several other books including Beauty Fades, Dumb Is Forever, Win or Lose By How You Choose, Judge Judy Sheindlin’s You Can’t Judge A Book By Its Cover and Keep It Simple, Stupid: You’re Smarter Than You Look.

Currently married to former The People’s Court judge, Jerry Sheindlin, Judge Judy is mother to two children, Jamie and Adam, and three stepchildren, Gregory, Jonathan and Nicole. She and Sheindlin reside in Florida but also have homes in New York City, Naples and Connecticut. She commutes to Los Angeles, via her private jet, twice a month for the filming of her show. Her great success earned her a spot on Forbes’ 2007 “Celebrity 100” list as well as a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Not only will Judge Judy always be remembered as one of America’s strongest and most successful women, she will go down in history as one of Hollywood’s greatest and most watched judges.