was transferred to the family court division in Manhattan while also attending John Jay College of Criminal Justice. It was in this capacity that Byrd met Judge Judy Sheindlin, who was the Supervising Family Court Judge for Manhattan. From 1986 through 1989, Byrd worked in the Manhattan family court system as a courtroom officer on a rotating basis for varying judges, Sheindlin among many others. Recounting the times he was assigned to function as Sheindlin's bailiff in the Manhattan family court system, Byrd commented, "I was never bored in her courtroom. Her get-to-the-point style didn't always sit well with the litigants, and there were times she was definitely glad to have me around." In 1989, Byrd obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from John Jay College. That same year, Byrd's personal life changed radically: he and his wife, Felicia, separated and she moved with the couple's children to California. The couple tried to get their marriage back on track by participating in cross-country relationship counseling for five months. A year later in 1990, Byrd moved to San Mateo, California to reunite with his family and reconcile with his wife. There, he accepted a job as a Special Deputy U.S. Marshall. In 1992, Byrd made another career transition, becoming a student counselor at Monta Vista High School in Cupertino, California, remaining in this profession until 1996. As a side job during this time, Byrd also delivered pizzas. Television career Bailiff Byrd on 'Judge Judy' (1996-2021) In 1995, Byrd read a news article in a Liz Smith column about Sheindlin's new book, Don't Pee on My Leg and Tell Me It's Raining, as well as her then upcoming television court show project to be filmed in Los Angeles. He subsequently wrote Sheindlin a congratulatory letter, stating: "If you ever need a bailiff, my uniform still fits." After Sheindlin was feeling lack of chemistry between her and the test actor who performed as bailiff in her pilot episode, she phoned Byrd to offer him the role as bailiff in her courtroom series, which he accepted. Byrd added "Hawkins" to his name when he joined the Judge Judy program as a salute to his late mother; Hawkins was her maiden name. In the program, Sheindlin referred to him simply as "Byrd," or less frequently "Officer Byrd." Byrd ended up performing as Judge Judy program bailiff for its entire series run of