From Manhattan Family Court to TV Icon: Why Judge Judy’s Decisions Still Count

Judge Judy Sheindlin has settled disputes in her TV courtroom for nearly three decades. Known for her no-nonsense attitude, Sheindlin has become the highest-paid judge on television for her shows Judge Judy, which aired from 1996 to 2021, and Judy Justice, which began airing in 2022 with a similar concept. Now, she’s reviewing landmark cases on her latest series, Justice on Trial, out July 21.

Though Sheindlin serves as an arbitrator on TV, she is a former New York judge who oversaw cases in Manhattan’s family court for years. While serving as a judge, Sheidlin caught the attention of the Los Angeles Times  and 60 Minutes with her matter-of-fact persona.

As for whether she enjoys working in family or TV court more, Sheindlin told PEOPLE in February 2025 that her role as a family court judge was far more meaningful.

“Being a judge in a courtroom in the family court, it’s probably the most worthwhile work that you do,” Sheindlin said. “[But] television judging is a lot more fun, a lot less work, and you take a lot fewer Tylenol than you do in family court.”

So is judge Judy a real judge? Here’s everything to know about her legal acumen and whether or not she presides over a real courtroom.

What is Judge Judy about?

In both Judge Judy and Judy Justice, disputes between parties are heard by Sheindlin, who makes binding decisions based on testimony. Sheindlin serves as an arbitrator, a neutral third-party alternative to formal litigation in court, and the parties agree to uphold her decisions.

Most recently, she launched the new series Justice on Trial, which revisits eight cases with controversial endings, involving reenactments and real lawyers weighing in.

Judge Judy won three Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Legal/Courtroom Program in 2013, 2016 and 2017. Judge Justice earned the same accolade in 2022 and 2024.

Sheindlin also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006 and a Lifetime Achievement Emmy in 2019.

Did judge Judy study law?

Prior to that, she attended undergraduate at American University’s Washington College of Law in the early 1960s, where she was the only woman in a class of more than 120 students. After graduating from New York Law School, she got her first job as a law associate at a cosmetics firm.

She has since given back to her alma mater by donating $5 million in full scholarships to 10 women attending New York Law School annually starting in 2022. The scholarship fund covers tuition and book expenses, and offers summer fellowships after the first year of law school.

Is judge Judy a real judge?

Before her TV career, Sheinlin started as an assistant prosecutor in Manhattan’s family court in 1972, prosecuting child abuse, domestic violence and juvenile crime cases.

A decade later, Mayor Ed Koch appointed her to become a family court judge in 1982. She was later promoted to supervising judge in Manhattan’s family court in 1986.

After two decades on the bench, the L.A. Times profiled Sheindlin in 1993, highlighting her tough reputation on the bench. The feature earned her a 60 Minutes segment that caught the attention of CBS and launched Judge Judy, at which point she retired from family court.

Does judge Judy have real cases?

Although she does not serve as a judge in her show — and is not affiliated with any federal, state or circuit court system — Sheindlin rules on actual cases. She is not bound by any rules of conduct, civil procedure or evidence, and adjudicates cases as she sees fit.

In an interview with WDRB  in October 2012, Judge Judy executive producer Randy Douthitt (who now works on Judy Justice) explained how the cases are selected for the show.

“We have approximately 60 to 65 researchers across the country that go into courts and because of the Freedom of Information Act, we can Xerox those cases and they’re sent back to the producers,” Douthitt told the outlet.

Afterward, the producers find the cases they’re interested in and call the disputing parties, asking if they want to appear on the show.

Douthitt also added that they look for cases with emotional ties and relationships to create a “bit of a mini soap opera.”

Are judge Judy’s decisions binding?

Yes, judge Judy’s decisions are binding, and the disputing parties agree to accept her decision and not pursue the case anywhere else, per WDRB.

Before appearing on the show, each party signs a waiver agreeing to the arbitrator’s decision, which is final.

Additionally, the disputing parties have all expenses paid for to travel and appear on the show, and if the plaintiff wins, the show pays out the settlement, not the defendant, according to  Fox59.

The outlet also reported that because the cases are decided in arbitration, not in court, no civil action will appear on the defendant’s record if the judgment favors the plaintiff.

What is judge Judy’s salary?

Since she began her career on TV, Sheindlin’s yearly salary grew to a reported $ 47 million in 2018. Currently, Forbes estimates her net worth to be $580 million.

However, at the beginning of her law career, Sheindlin struggled to make ends meet while raising five children with her husband, fellow judge  Jerry Sheindlin.

When CBS first tapped Sheindlin for the show in 1996, her financial expectations and goals were much lower.

“I was hoping we would have a three- or four-year run and that my husband and I would be able to afford a two-bedroom apartment one block off the beach in Florida as a retirement place,” she told PEOPLE in June 2023.

“We should be partners,” she recalled telling CBS executives after a decade on-air. “I can do this program without you. Good luck, you can’t do it without me.”