Judge Judy: Here comes the judge on prime time TV

Judge Judy is going prime time.

CBS said Wednesday that TV judge Judith Sheindlin will be the focus of a one-hour special in May.

"Judge Judy Primetime" will chart the 71-year-old Sheindlin's transition from a New York Family Court judge to the star of her top-rated courtroom show.

Her syndicated daytime series, "Judge Judy," debuted in 1996. Last year, the feisty former New York state judge renewed her CBS TV contract for two more years of "Judge Judy." It's one of the top daytime TV shows, seen by roughly 10 million people each episode.

Her current contract runs through 2015, and the new deal extends her through 2017. That would give her 21 years on the air, and Sheindlin has given no indication that she has plans to retire from the show.

“I don’t mind getting my hands dirty, and I don’t mind getting to the truth of a situation and saying, ‘You’re right, you’re wrong, next case,’ ” Judge Judy said. “If I wasn’t right most of the time, we wouldn’t be having this conversation today," Ms. Sheindlin told AP in an interview last year.

Sheindlin reportedly earns a $45 million annual salary, mostly from syndication revenue.

The special also will include new cases and excerpts from past "60 Minutes" profiles on the no-nonsense Sheindlin, CBS said. "Judge Judy Primetime" is scheduled to air May 20 on CBS.

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