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Adam Levy has a legal résumé of his own, but that has not stopped viewers from scrutinizing his jump to daytime TV. Levy previously served as the presiding judge on the Amazon Prime series “Tribunal Justice” and “Justice on Trial,” yet his highest-profile move comes with a much bigger family connection: taking over the gavel from his famous mother, Judy Sheindlin, better known to millions as Judge Judy. Beginning September 14, 2026, audiences will see one of Judge Judy’s children headline the new syndicated courtroom show “Adam’s Law” — and many critics are already calling it a textbook example of nepotism.
“I’m gonna say it….. I don’t like him. He’s too full of himself for a nepobaby. If his mother wasn’t JJ, who would give him a show?” one Reddit user wrote bluntly. That reaction was hardly an outlier. Other commenters suggested Levy may struggle to establish an identity separate from Sheindlin’s towering television legacy. “He always seems like he is trying too hard to be JJ. It never comes off as his own voice,” another user said in response.
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While many argued that Levy has proved he’s ready for the gig through his other shows, some others had an issue with the overall premise of making the court series into an overarching family ordeal. “No thanks, we fought monarchies 250 years ago,” an X user joked. It’s hard to escape the nepo baby label when trying to fill in the shoes of someone as iconic and long-lasting as Judge Judy, but Levy believes he can succeed.
Adam Levy disagrees with nepo baby accusations
The phrase “nepo baby” is often used to describe celebrity children who land major opportunities in the same industry as their parents, sometimes with questions about whether talent or family ties opened the door. Levy, however, rejects the idea that the label applies to him. “Despite the fact that I have a famous mother, I got the chops as well,” he told the New York Post in August 2026.
Unlike Judge Judy, who was a real-life judge before becoming a television icon, Levy has not spent significant time serving as a judge outside the TV courtroom. Still, the Hofstra Law School graduate brings more than 25 years of legal experience to “Adam’s Law,” including two terms as district attorney in Putnam County, New York. To him, that background matters. Levy acknowledged that following Sheindlin is no easy assignment, but he insists he is not stepping in merely as a stand-in for his mother. ” … I’m here to fill my own shoes and to put my own stamp on it,” he told the New York Post. “I’m confident in my own style.”
Sheindlin appears to share that confidence — with her usual sharp-edged humor. In the August 2026 trailer for “Adam’s Law”, Judge Judy joked that her son might even surpass her. “Quite frankly, I think he has the talent to beat me, and I don’t like the idea of that,” she said with a laugh. Levy may be eager to carve out his own place in the courtroom TV genre, but he has never denied his mother’s influence. “Since the fourth grade I knew I wanted to be a lawyer,” he told the New York Post. Whether “Adam’s Law” can help him escape Judge Judy’s long shadow is a verdict viewers have yet to deliver.