Adam Levy, a former two-term Putnam County District Attorney, is stepping into a courtroom of his own with the premiere of “Adam’s Law,” a new syndicated television show that began airing this Monday nationwide.
Levy, who has previously appeared on courtroom shows including “Justice on Trial” and “Tribunal Justice,” is the son of Judy Sheindlin, the longtime host of “Judge Judy,” which ran for more than 25 years. Sheindlin created “Adam’s Law” and produces it through her company, Queen Bee Productions, for CBS Media Ventures.
Unlike “Tribunal,” where Levy shared the bench with two other judges, “Adam’s Law” puts him in sole command of the courtroom. A taping this summer at Stamford Studios gave a look at how he runs it.
“Well, we dive into the nitty-gritty,” Levy told Fox News Digital following the taping. “We get into the details. The devil’s always in those details. And so we make sure that the information that we have isn’t just limited to what the litigants tell us in a complaint or an answer. When appropriate, we will look into backgrounds to ensure what they tell us is corroborated or if we can contradict it, we will. So the right person wins, the right person loses.”
During the taping, two women became visibly emotional while testifying in cases before Levy. He said he keeps his focus on the facts rather than the feelings involved.
“The law is about facts. The law doesn’t have much to do with feelings. I tell that to my family all the time – my facts don’t care about your feelings.”
He added that the dollar amount at stake doesn’t change how seriously he treats a case. “Listen, these are real cases, they’re real people. And many of them come here, and they’re committed to their cause. They feel strongly. The ones we had today were high-dollar values, but it could be a $50 case, it could be a $100 case, it doesn’t make a difference,” Levy said. “The plaintiffs feel wronged, and they want justice. And when they really start getting emotional, you see that. You see that whatever happened to them really bothered them. I take their cases seriously. They come to us and waive their right to be heard in small claims court, and allow me to adjudicate the cases for them. Why would I give them anything less than my full attention and true justice?”
Levy said the decision to launch his own show came down to his mother’s judgment. “I was very happy to go back to Wyoming, going skiing, but it was time,” he said. “She wanted to reassess what she was doing, and thinking about maybe hanging up her gavel, and she felt as though it was time. It was time for me that I had developed whatever skills she thought were necessary.” He joked, “I don’t want to disappoint her. I don’t want the word ‘bupkis’ next to my name in the will.”
Asked how his courtroom manner compares to his mother’s, Levy said the two share a low tolerance for dishonesty. “We both can’t stand nonsense. If you’re going to come in, and you’re going to lie, neither of us really have much tolerance for that, patience for it… Come to the court, tell the truth. A trial is supposed to be a search for the truth and not about who can tell a better lie. That’s what we’re all about.”
Levy said he didn’t always appreciate his mother’s demanding schedule growing up, when he was often a latchkey kid while she balanced her responsibilities. He now credits her work ethic for shaping his own, and hopes to pass a similar drive on to his children, who he said think he’s “crazy” for the hours he puts into preparing for each episode.
“It’s much easier when you love what you do,” Levy said.
