Judge Judy Sheindlin has revealed what comes next for her broadcasting career as her courtroom series Judy Justice prepares to conclude next month. The 83-year-old told People on Thursday that she has "a lot of other things of interest" ahead.
Sheindlin, an acerbic former prosecutor, is best known for her nearly 30-year run on the reality courtroom series Judge Judy, which aired for 25 seasons between 1996 and 2021. She has spent the past five years hosting its follow-up, Judy Justice.
She said she is ready to step back from appearing on camera herself. "I don't want to do hair and makeup anymore, but I still want my message to get out there," she told the publication.
Instead, Sheindlin plans to produce a new small-claims court program called Adam's Law, which will feature her son, Adam Levy, 58, in the judge's chair. She said Levy "has what it takes" to continue the family's television legacy, pointing to his background working on the Prime Video series Tribunal Justice.
Adam Levy's legal background
Sheindlin said there are not many people who can carry a half-hour of unscripted television on their own. Levy, for his part, described his mother to People as a "tough cookie" who raised him to be independent.
He recalled her telling him as a child, "If you want baseball cards, don't ask me for money." After graduating from Hofstra Law School in New York, Levy said his mother was unhappy when he chose to take a year off from his legal career to work as a ski instructor instead of pursuing a professional opportunity.
Levy recounted one occasion when officials from the Suffolk County, New York, district attorney's office called about a job offer. He said his mother answered the phone and told them, "Hi, this is Adam Levy's mom. And yes, he's going to take that job."
Levy went on to work in private practice and served multiple terms as district attorney of Putnam County, New York. Sheindlin said she believes her son is now properly seasoned in both law and television.
'He's ready now'
"Maybe eight years ago he wasn't ready," Sheindlin told People. "He's ready now."
Levy, who has three children with his spouse, Lori Leichtman, is based in Wyoming but films his series in Stamford, Connecticut. He said the arrangement allows him to spend time with his mother during trips to the East Coast.
Sheindlin said she feels a particular sense of peace as she winds down her on-camera career. "I don't think that I've ever been this content before," she said. "I don't have to prove anything else. I did it."
Adam's Law is scheduled to debut on September 14.
