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Judge Tanya Acker is on the Winning Side and That's Important to Her
WWW.INFLUENTIAL-MAGAZINE.COM JULY / AUGUST 2019
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EXCLUSIVE
INTERVIEWS
JUDGE TANYA ACKER is on the Winning Side and That’s
Important to Her
JUNE JACOBS has Turned a Personal Struggle and Story into Success
BE ON THE
WINNING SIDE
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF ANNIE SHAK.
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
JUDGE
TANYA
ACKER
IS ON THE WINNING SIDE AND THAT’S
IMPORTANT TO HER
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LONG BEFORE THE EMMY NOMINATED CBS SERIES
HOT BENCH, TANYA ACKER WAS DELVING
INTO PROBLEMS IN THE CORRIDORS OF
THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS. HER NEW PODCAST THE TANYA ACKER SHOW IS ABOUT RECOGNIZING
WE’RE BIGGER THAN OUR PROBLEMS. IT’S ABOUT
LOOKING AT THE TRUTH; FIGHTING BETTER AND SMARTER WITH EACH
OTHER; BRAINSTORMING IDEAS; KNOWING BAD THINGS ARE FIXABLE; AND HAVING MORE FUN.
kINTERVIEW WRITTEN AND CONDUCTED BY WILLIAM JACKSON, MBA, FOUNDER
& CHIEF BUSINESS OFFICER OF INFLUENTIAL MAGAZINE, SPANISH
INFLUENTIAL, AND TEEN INFLUENTIAL
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF ANNIE SHAK.
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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
T
anya and her guests explore a wide range of topics - from fighting frivolous lawsuits to ensuring a meaningful criminal justice reform to breaking bread with political opponents without breaking glass in each other’s faces. Guests include Anthony Daniels (Alabama House Minority Leader), and Lecia Brooks (Historical consultant on BlacKKKlansman) just to name a couple.
Acker received her B.A. degree at Howard University before attending Yale Law where she represented low-income women in family law cases and served as a teaching assistant in Constitutional Law and Civil Procedure courses. She has worked at the Office of White House Counsel, the Civil Rights Division in the United States Department of Justice and various private law firms. Her work in private law includes working with President Clinton’s personal lawyers, as well as on the preparation of Congressional testimony for pending product liability legislation and First Amendment issues.
After graduating from Yale, Acker served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Dorothy Wright Nelson on the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Her duties during that appointment included advising and making recommendations to Ninth Circuit judges about rulings on a broad variety of cases and preparing Judge Nelson for oral arguments on matters before the Court. After her clerkship, the Office of the Solicitor General in the U.S. Department of Justice awarded her a Bristow Fellowship. As a Bristow Fellow, her duties included drafting Supreme Court briefs.
In private practice, Acker’s legal work spanned a broad variety of matters from civil litigation involving public and private entities, to various constitutional cases, to providing business counseling and advice. She also maintained a commitment to pro bono work, receiving the ACLU’s First Amendment Award for her successful representation of the homeless in a case against the City of Santa Barbara.
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As an influential community leader and advocate, Acker serves on the boards of Public Counsel, the nation’s largest provider of free legal services; the Western Justice Center, which promotes alternative dispute resolution; the Western Los Angeles County Council of the Boy Scouts of America (the WLACC does not discriminate on any basis); and Rainbow Services, which provides shelter services to victims of domestic violence.
What a thrilling honor to have the opportunity to dialogue with Tanya to discuss her unique perspectives as a go-to expert on headline news and gain insight into her story.
William Jackson: What are the highlights of your early childhood? Tanya Acker: I really liked to read a lot.
William: How were you influenced by your family? Tanya: My father always retains a positive outlook. My mother reminds me no matter how disturbing things may seem, there’s always a way to fix them. They’re wonderfully optimistic people who always reminded me there’s a way to get things done.
William: What were your dreams and aspirations as a young girl? Tanya: I wanted to be successful and independent, and to have the freedom to do things I felt like doing.
William: How did you make the choice to study at Howard and Yale Universities? Tanya: I wanted to go to a historically black college and since I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to do; I liked the broad range of choices Howard offered. As for Yale, I was attracted to its approach to the study of law: at Yale, law wasn’t just something to be blindly followed but also something to be understood. That way, if you need to fix something that’s broken, you’ll have a basis for making a correction without disrupting other parts that work.
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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
William: How did you make the definitive choice to study law? Tanya: I wanted to make sure I understood how things worked, regardless of what I ended up doing.
William: What type of student were you? Tanya: I was a pretty good one. Education is an incredible opportunity and the great equalizer. I enjoyed getting mine.
William: What is the power of mentee / mentor programs? Tanya: They are incredibly powerful. A mentor is someone who can provide the sort of friendship, advice, and constructive criticism that can help you move the ball along in life.
William: Tell us about Hot Bench? Tanya: Judge Judy created our show – we’re three judges deciding real small claims cases and hearing arguments from the actual litigants involved in the dispute. We discuss the arguments in our chambers and then render a binding decision. We’re in our sixth season.
William: With such a solid legal background, what attracted you to television? Tanya: Television attracted me to television. There’s almost no better medium for communicating with a broad audience, and I like being able to engage in that type of communication.
“
How do you define success? Being able to do as you want (without harming others).
”
and don’t use the court system to advance bogus claims. (There are supposed to be disincentives for this — even in non-TV courtrooms. - but people who choose to advance frivolous lawsuits can sometimes get further than you might think.)
William: Have you ever regretted any decisions you’ve made in court? Tanya: Our verdicts are the product of a majority vote and when the case is done it’s final for everyone. I’m not going to Monday morning quarterback any of our verdicts.
William: Are you optimistic about people? Tanya: Absolutely, at least about most of them. There are way more good apples than bad ones - it’s just the bad ones use up a lot of our energy and take up a lot of our time. The good apples; however, can always find a way to reclaim the conversation. Bad apples end up rotting sooner, anyway.
William: What advice do you have for a new lawyer or judge? Tanya: My advice for a new lawyer is to read as much as you can and be as prepared as you can as often as you can.
William: What are the characteristics you value most in other people? Tanya: Honesty and optimism.
William: What is it about Hot Bench you believe viewers appreciate? Tanya: I think viewers like the chance to see us deliberate. It’s not often people can witness judicial decision makers discussing and debating their verdicts before they announce them.
William: What message do you hope viewers receive after watching Hot Bench? Tanya: Be respectful of people. Try to deescalate things before they get out of hand. Document things
William: What are the characteristics you value most in yourself? Tanya: Honesty, optimism, and perseverance.
William: I’m keenly interested in your interest in board of director memberships. Speak to us about why being a board member is important to you. Tanya: I want to contribute to organizations and causes I believe in. The best way of doing that is by actively participating in organizations that are doing the work.
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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
William: What is your guilty pleasure? Tanya: I’ve a few. Discussing the intricacies of Game of Thrones; eating my homemade glutenfree chocolate chip cookies. I wish I could get to Disneyland more often, but I don’t feel the least bit guilty about that.
William: What would you like named after you? Tanya: I don’t know. It depends on what I do to deserve it.
William: Do you have a role model? If so, who? Tanya: I have a few. 1) My mom; 2) Madame C.J. Walker (an African-American entrepreneur who at the time of her death (in 1919) was the wealthiest self-made woman in America); 3) Sojourner Truth, who went to court and won at a time when African- Americans were considered property; 4) Robert Smalls, who was born an enslaved American in South Carolina, and who escaped by commandeering a Confederate battleship and delivering it to the Union army 5) Vice Admiral Samuel Gravely, the first African-American to command a Navy battleship 6) my first boss, Judge Dorothy W. Nelson (U.S. Court of Appeal for the 9th Circuit); 7) my current boss, Judge Judy Sheindlin; 8) Michelle Obama, and 9) Oprah Winfrey.
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My advice for a first-time lawyer is to read as much as you can and be as prepared as you can as often as you can.
”
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William: What is your proudest moment? Tanya: I’ve had a few. I’ve been on the winning side of some cases that were important to me.
William: You do notable work outside of the courtroom. Tell us what Tanya Acker is up to when you’re not filming Hot Bench or practicing law. Tanya: I serve on various philanthropic boards. I’m writing a book. I’ve started a podcast, The Tanya Acker
Show. Tune into my podcast - it’s available on iTunes.
William: How do you manage successfully your life, so your head is not so full and crazy? Tanya: I like having a full head. But I also like yoga and being outside. Working out is essential. My home life is very peaceful, and I really appreciate that.
William: What would we find you doing to remain centered and focused? Tanya: Praying; meditating; yoga; enjoying the warmth and positive energy of my family and friends.
William: How do you define success? Tanya: Being able to do as you want (without harming others).
William: How are you living your best life? Tanya: By just living it! l
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