at fault

Judge Judy issued a presidential endorsement & it went off just as you’d imagine

Judge Judy wearing a long blue dress and putting her thumb in the air.

Judge Judy is endorsing Nikki Haley for president.

And nobody is sure how much they should care.

The Haley campaign touted the TV judge’s backing in a statement released Tuesday. In it, Judy Sheindlin, who’s been adjudicating small-claims cases in her simulated court room for decades, said she thinks Haley is the leader America needs.

“I’m proud to endorse Nikki Haley because she is whip smart, has executive credentials and was a superb governor,” said the 81-year-old television personality. “I truly think she can restore America and believe she is the future of this great nation.”

The reaction to Judge Judy’s endorsement was…tepid.

Haley called Judge Judy a “no-nonsense lady” who has “earned the respect of millions of Americans from her courtroom by being thoughtful, fair, and honest.” For 25 years, Sheindlin hosted Judge Judy, which was syndicated across the country.

Though her network show ended in 2021, Sheindlin currently hosts Judy Justice on Amazon Freevee. She says her passion for settling small-claims cases in hyperbolic fashion has never waned.

“I was as enthusiastic and rigorous in the last case that I taped as I was at the beginning,” she said before the last episode of Judge Judy.

Overall, Sheindlin settled 12,750 cases on her acclaimed show.

Occasionally foraying into politics, the New York native endorsed Michael Bloomberg for president in 2020. She said the billionaire and former NYC mayor is “courageous” and “beholden to no one.”

Old syndicated daytime TV hosts don’t have the best recent political track records. Dr. Oz campaigned for an open Pennsylvania senate seat in 2022, only to reveal himself as an out-of-touch carpetbagger who thought the average voter was worried about crudités.

While Sheindlin isn’t running for office herself, the timing of her Haley endorsement raises questions. The ex-South Carolina governor’s campaign is reaching peak cringe days before the Iowa Caucus. Some of her recent gaffs include saying the Civil War was fought over “freedom” (not slavery) and advocating for school-aged children to pass through metal detectors every morning.

In defense of her Civil War stance, Haley said she had Black friends growing up…

Seriously!

There’s been some talk about Haley surging in New Hampshire, now trailing Donald Trump by single digits (a Boston Globe survey, however, show her trailing Trump by 19).

Despite asserting herself as the clear second place, Haley is still well behind the quadruple-indicted, twice-impeached, one-term ex-president in national polling.

We’re almost certain Judge Judy doesn’t hold that kind of sway.

Next case!

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