Judge Judy reveals the Menendez brothers opinion she'll get 'a lot of flak for'
Judge Judy is back on the TV bench with "Justice on Trial," and that death stare still slices through the legal bull as if it never stopped.
Judith Sheindlin, 82, who became TV's daytime super judge with her no-nonsense demeanor on the long-running syndicated courtroom series "Judge Judy," has expanded her justice universe on Amazon Prime Video.
After "Judge Judy" signed off in 2021 after 25 years and more than 7,000 episodes, Sheindlin launched "Judy Justice," presiding over an arbitration-format show with a panel that includes her granddaughter, Sarah Rose, a law clerk. In 2023, she created "Tribunal Justice," featuring three judges, including her son, Adam Levy, a former district attorney.
Your Honor's new legal docuseries, "Justice on Trial" (now streaming), recreates landmark U.S. court cases – including the 100-year-old Scopes Trial. Sheindlin serves as a judge and appears (robeless) as a commentator on the legal ramifications and history.
"Everybody, whether legally trained or not, has opinions about legal cases from the O.J. Simpson trial to whether the Menendez brothers should be paroled," Sheindlin tells USA TODAY. "By recreating cases, it gives an entertaining way to see if justice was served."
Question: You mentioned the Menendez brothers' possible parole, which is a real possibility following Netflix's "Monster" series. Do you think Lyle and Erik Menendez should be paroled after killing their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in 1989?
Answer: What we know about the Menendez brothers is that they killed both of their parents. As we know, after they killed their parents, they went on a buying spree. They got a jury trial, and they were sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. They've done incredibly well in prison, but that doesn't mean they get another chance. That is their sentence. Until Kitty Menendez can stand up before a judge and say, "Give them another chance," the jury and the courts have spoken. Now you have my answer. I'm going to get a lot of flak for that.
You wear many robes as different judges in "Justice." But do we see the "Judge Judy" original robe?
We're recreating trials that are sometimes 20 years apart, so I wear different robes and in one episode a different hairdo. I do wear the "Judge Judy" robe with a different collar, not the lace one. I think it's the original robe because I took it when I left. It's worn in spots. I hope CBS (which distributed "Judge Judy") doesn't want it back. But it was mine. And CBS has enough problems without worrying about my robe.
Why do viewers also see you as a legal narrator in street clothes, without the robe?
We added that narrator as a legal roadmap, which the show needed. Actually, the pants are all the same. I just changed the jacket for each episode. That's my little secret.
There is less "Judge Judy" commentary in the show. But during one case involving a speeding arrest, you mentioned your husband, Judge Gerald Sheindlin, has more experience in speeding stops. Please explain.
I was in the car when he was stopped for speeding, maybe 25 years ago. The female officer came to the car as I was yelling at him, "You were going too fast!" It was like 50 in a 40 zone, so not 100 mph. But still speeding. He was giving some excuse, and I told the officer, "Give him a ticket." Then she recognized me and wouldn't give him the ticket. I wanted to write it myself.
And your own driving record is clean of speeding offenses?
I've never gotten a speeding ticket. I'm sure I've driven over the limit, but never in a reckless manner. I'm nearly 83, I'm praying I don't get a speeding ticket now. I'm a law-and-order girl. Society makes certain reasonable rules. Like, don't drive over the speed limit.
You've been together for 47 years, with a short break. What's your secret?
There's an intangible thing you can't quite put your finger on that allows you to hate somebody in one moment and then really like them the next. There are irritations, ups and downs. But I can't picture my life without him.
You are known for the phrase, "Beauty fades, dumb is forever." It's even the title of your 1999 book. Yet there's nothing about you that has faded in eight decades. What's your secret?
I know I have changed. Sometimes I look in the mirror and say, "When did I become my mother?" In your brain, you're always 40. I have no formula. You just have to be an interesting person your whole life. To me, there's nothing worse than boredom. So if I'm not working, I would clean a bathroom or a kitchen, or redo a closet. I'm getting too old for those, so this is the perfect job for me.
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