Judith Sheindlin, the sharp-tongued judge who starred on television as “Judge Judy” and spinoff shows such as “Judy Justice,” is officially hanging up her robes next month.
Sheindlin, 83, the former New York judge who brought a no-nonsense, acerbic attitude to the bench for “Judge Judy” from 1996 to 2021, told People that she will be moving away from being on camera.
Her spinoff series, “Judy Justice,” will stop releasing new episodes, the judge’s representative, Gary Rosen said, according to The New York Times. The show’s Amazon Prime spinoff series, “Judy Justice,” will air its final show on OCt. 22, according to the streaming service.’
“I have a lot of other things of interest,” Sheindlin told People. “I don’t want to do hair and makeup anymore, but I still want my message to get out there.”
She will be an executive producer for “Adam’s Law,” a syndicated show featuring her son, Adam Levy, according to the magazine.
Levy, 58, is a lawyer and former district attorney in Putnam County, New York, the Times reported. The show premiered this week, Rosen told the newspaper, and Levy, who rules on small-claims cases, is just as blunt as his mother, People reported.
Sheindlin is also developing another program, “Judyverse,” which is an adult-animated series starring a baby as the judge, according to the Times.
Judge Judy Feels ‘Content’ as She Passes the Gavel to Son Adam Levy: ‘I Don’t Have to Prove Anything Else’ (Exclusive) https://t.co/bboK5ctdPi
— People (@people) September 9, 2026
has another program in development: “Judyverse,” an adult animated series starring a baby as Judge Judy, Rosen said.
“Judge Sheindlin is not retiring,” Rosen told the newspaper. “She is rewiring.”
“Judge Judy” first aired on Sept. 16, 1996. In half-hour episodes, Sheindlin presided over small claims cases, settling disputes that included rental spats, overdue car payments and even dognapping cases, the Times reported.
The judge endeared herself to television audiences with her probing questions and penchant for not suffering fools easily.
She would rake litigants over the coals with “Judy-isms” according to the newspaper. Memorable retorts included “Either you are playing dumb or it’s not an act,” and “Are you trying to justify to me the fact that you’re an idiot?”
Sheindlin won Daytime Emmy Awards in 2013, 2016 and 2017 for Outstanding Legal/Courtroom Program, and was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Emmy in 2019.
Sheindlin was featured on a segment of “60 Minutes” in 1993 and was described as a “five-foot-two package of attitude with a capital ‘A,’” the Times reported.
“They don’t keep me here because I’m gorgeous,” Sheindlin said in a 2014 interview with the newspaper. “They keep me here because I’m smart.”
Sheindlin will be celebrated in a special, “Judge Judy: Unfiltered, Unforgettable,” on Sept. 22, People reported.
Looking back, she said she has no regrets.
“I don’t have to prove anything else,” Sheindlin told the magazine. “I did it.”
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