Judge Judy, Judith Sheindlin, was a judge in the criminal court in New York City for 13 years. Prior to that position, she was a prosecutor in family court in New York City for 10 years.
No, 'Judge Judy' is not a Federal Court, it is a reasonable facsimile (it's a TV show!) of a small claims court, except that it has a $5,000.00 claim limit.
Circuit courts may be the name given to the trial courts of a state, and have jurisdiction to hear both civil and criminal cases. In states that have different jurisdictional levels of trial courts,...
She passed the bar exam and began practicing as an attorney in 1965. In 1972 she applied for and was appointed as a judge. See the related link below for a complete biography.
She was a family court judge in New York City from 1972 until 1996. During her show she is styled to look like a small claims court judge, while in fact being only a private arbitrator and not being...