Judge Judy Is Now the Proud Owner of a Newport Mansion

She bought a $9 million estate called the "Bird House."


Photo via Gustave White Sotheby’s Realty

Judge Judy has a new place to hang her robes: inside her $9 million Newport mansion’s cedar closets. Judy Sheindlin, TV’s spirited courtroom personality, and her husband Jerry purchased the sprawling estate this week, making it the most expensive real estate transaction in Rhode Island this year, according to the Newport Daily News.

The more than 14,000-square-foot home was nicknamed the “Bird House” by its late owner, Campbell Soup heiress Dorrance Hill Hamilton. A founder of the Newport Flower Show, Hamilton was a skilled gardener. She built the Bird House in 2012 and oversaw the creation of impressive gardens on its grounds. In addition to specimen plantings, the property’s 3.67 acres boast a patio with a pergola, a plunge pool, and outdoor kitchen, a pond, and hydrangea bushes galore.

Inside the gigantic hilltop mansion, a two-story entrance hall welcomes guests with a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace and huge windows overlooking the backyard. The place totals six bedrooms, six full bathrooms, two half-bathrooms, four fireplaces, and 13 parking spaces. “Many rooms enjoy panoramic coastline views, while others look upon dramatic rock outcroppings and lovely gardens,” reads the listing.

The Daily News reports Sheindlin told Kate Kirby Greenman, the home’s listing agent, she and her husband were “looking forward to falling in love with Newport.” Maybe they’ll hang out with Jay Leno, who bought his own Newport mansion in December 2017. A highly scientific Google maps calculation indicates his home, called “Seafair,” is only a five-minute drive from the Bird House.

Photo via Gustave White Sotheby’s Realty

Photo via Gustave White Sotheby’s Realty

Photo via Gustave White Sotheby’s Realty

Photo via Gustave White Sotheby’s Realty

Photo via Gustave White Sotheby’s Realty

Photo via Gustave White Sotheby’s Realty

Photo via Gustave White Sotheby’s Realty

Photo via Gustave White Sotheby’s Realty