Jerry (Gerald) Sheindlin, a New York City native and Korean War veteran, has a law degree from Brooklyn Law School. He practiced as a criminal defense attorney with Adlerberg & Sheindlin for a while, where he was eventually awarded a partnership. Notably, Jerry had a career trajectory similar to Judy Sheindlin, who also practiced in New York. Both would go on to be awarded a seat on their respective benches; for Jerry, this meant a position as a U.S. administrative law judge in 1980, a criminal court judge in 1983, and a New York Supreme Court Judge in 1986.
Surprisingly, judgeship isn't the only commonality between Judy and her significant other — Jerry was also a television arbitrator, aka a TV judge just like his wife. In 1999, "The People's Court" sought a new presiding judge after Ed Koch vacated the position. Coincidentally, former NYC Mayor Koch was the one who appointed Judy to the bench. Jerry signed on for one season, 1999-2000, and completed most of the 2000-2001 season too. Despite Judy's demonstrable success, Jerry's illustrious criminal law career, which spans two decades, is impressive.
He also somehow found the time to author two books and appear in another television series in 2012. Nevertheless, Jerry credits Judy with pushing him into the entertainment world, telling the Los Angeles Times that she encouraged him despite the fact it would technically make him her direct competitor. According to Jerry, "If she had any reservations at all, I wouldn't have done it."
