By Kharisma McIlwaine
Los Angeles native Tanya Acker is extremely successful in a number of arenas. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Howard University and continued her education, graduating from Yale Law School. She then went on to explore various aspects of the law in both the public and private sectors.
In addition to her work as an attorney, Acker is also an accomplished television correspondent. She has been featured on “Larry King Live,” “The View,” “Good Morning America,” and a number of other programs. She now shares her legal mind daily on the Emmy nominated CBS series, “Hot Bench.”
Acker spoke to the SUN about her journey through law, her passion for sharing knowledge and several of her upcoming projects.
When she was still deciding on a career path, Acker contemplated exploring art history as a major; she pursued law instead.
“I decided to go to law school for a couple of reasons,” she said. “One I felt like it would be the best way of ensuring that I could understand a lot of things, in a lot of different areas. Secondly, I wanted to make sure I had a way of getting a job. I wanted to be able to support myself.”
After law school Acker worked in a legal aid clinic, and as a teacher’s assistant and research assistant to various professors. She also worked in a private law firm and in government. It was important for Acker to have a sense of public and private sector work. That exploration led to a uniquely broad view of the law.
“I had access to a lot of great opportunities,” she said. “My view of what the law was and where it could lead, was really expansive. I had exposure to a lot of experiences in law, which ultimately led to working on “Hot Bench.”
Created by the famous Judge Judy, “Hot Bench” is in its sixth season and recently celebrated its 1000th episode.
“It’s been a great opportunity,” Acker said. “I got a call from CBS that they were casting for a new show that Judge Judy created. I went in and met with her and her team. They tried out different combinations of people and fortunately I made the cut! We’re really having a great time.”
In a television market that has a plethora of court TV shows, “Hot Bench” stands out from the crowd. Acker explained her perspective on what audiences appreciate most about the show.
“I think people really enjoy seeing three judges deliberate,” she said. “They also like seeing three different people engage with the audience,” she explained. “Sometimes we agree but we may agree for different reasons. We may focus on various aspects of the case in front of us. I think people really appreciate the diversity of perspective and opinions and I think the deliberations really gives folks an inside look at a part of the process that people often don’t get to see.”
In addition to giving viewers an inside look at the process, Acker also shared her appreciation for the expedited timeline of the cases presented on the show.
“The most rewarding aspect of being part of the show is being able to cut to the chase of the matter… delivering some justice or a remedy that might have taken people much longer if they had to wait in line for one of the courts from which we draw our cases.” she said.
Acker has mastered her authentic voice and the art of carving out her own lane. In addition to her work on “Hot Bench,” Acker can also add to her list of accomplishments the title of author. She is currently writing her first book, “Make Your Case.”
“One of the things I talk about in the book is what people can really expect when they find themselves in the situation of having to go through the court system,” she said. “It can take much longer than people expect with more twists and turns than they might be anticipating.”
Fans can look forward to “Make Your Case,” which will be coming out in August 2020. Additionally, Acker shares a wealth of information on her podcast, “The Tanya Acker Show.”
“I’m really excited to be working on my podcast! My most recent episode is about what I describe as lawless litigation. In it, I discuss some of the surprising things that can happen and the illegal things that can happen when people are litigating,” she emphasized. “I’ve done an episode on the importance of voting and spoke to The House Majority voting leader Anthony Daniels from Alabama. He is the first African American and the youngest House Majority leader. It’s really my intention with this podcast to connect people across a broad variety of issues and give people a sense of what things mean.”
“The Tanya Acker Show” is a source of valuable information and offers audiences an opportunity to learn about a wide variety of topics ranging from The National Emergency Act President Trump proposed to justify building the wall, to Sarah Van Patten, principal dancer in the San Francisco ballet who performed up until the last trimester of her pregnancy.
Be sure to tune in to “The Tanya Acker Show” on ITunes. To keep up with current and upcoming projects, follow Tanya Acker on Instgram and Twitter at: @Tanyaacker, and like Tanya Acker on Facebook. “Hot Bench” airs on CBS Monday through Friday; check your local listing for showtimes.
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