My Role Model – Catherine Crier

Everyone has role models; they are the people who can help to set goals in life and encourage advancement. I chose Catherine Crier as my career role model, because she has made exceptional decisions to pursue her goals in life, which I would like to emulate. From being the youngest elected state judge in Texas history to a great anchor on TV, then becoming one of the Emmy-Award-Winning Journalists to an acclaimed author now, Catherine Crier has made all these decisions because “[she] always knew what [she] wanted to do.”[1] In all these great achievements that Catherine has accomplished in her life, reading and writing play important roles.

[2] Reading plays a crucial role in Catherine’s career and life. In order to be a qualified state judge at the age of 29, Catherine had to know the United States Constitution very well. The Articles of the Constitution inspired her, and they were also one of her motivations to devote herself to the field of law and justice. Catherine could never forget the first part or the Preamble of the Constitution; it says:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.[3]

These words are sacred to Catherine; they have power. No one can ever change them, because they are the foundation of the system of law and justice and also the cornerstone of the American democratic system. After memorizing and fully understanding the Preamble to the United States Constitution, Catherine came to believe that as a state judge, she needed to “[have] a passion for issues, a desire to understand the world, to bring justice to the world […]”.[4] Catherine always felt that she had the responsibility to be concerned about her country, because she was a state judge and one of the leaders in the field of law. She needed to be a leader to maintain the social order in the state of Texas. As a female state judge, she has also superceded the role of women in a male-dominated field. Since the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in the Constitution, women had the civil right to vote. However, the field of law and justice is still dominated by men. Catherine Crier is a good role model to show that woman can perform as well as men. Inspired by the words of the Nineteenth Amendment, she promotes social equality in the society.

[5] Not only inspired by the powerful words from the Constitution, she was also encouraged by the words of her heroes. Because from the time she was a little girl, she already had the dream to be a lawyer and eventually become a great state justice; her heroes were great lawyers of her time, like Atticus Finch and Clarence Darrow. Even though Atticus Finch is an only a character in Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, his words had great influences on Catherine and her career. The quote that Catherine could never forget says:

If you just learn a single trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.[6]

[7]Everytime Catherine presided over a case, she always considered things from the plaintiff’s point of view and also the appellee’s point of view. Only in that way could she clearly understand the case and make the right judgement. Clarence Darrow was Catherine’s other hero. He was a famous American lawyer and one of the leading members of the American Civil Liberties Union. His papers are located at the Liberty of Congress, which not only had a big influence on Catherine, but also had a great effect on the foundation of the law system in the United States.

In Catherine’s mind, “[Atticus Finch and Clarence Darrow] were the fellows who, in Texas terms, could charm the socks off a rooster, or better yet, could change the course of human destiny with the force of their words”.[8] To “Change the human destiny” was one of Catherine’s goals when she took the job as a state judge. From 1984 to 1989, she served as Texas States Judge in Dallas County and brought justice there. She had such a rich experience in the field of law, and her reading played an important role in her life, which inspired her to move forward.

Catherine Crier’s great achievements were not only inspired by reading the Constitution and these meaningful words from her heros but also by writing her own journals and books. Being such a great state judge, Catherine Crier made a decision that “shocked both the legal profession and the journalisn world”.[9] She decided to become a television journalist and an author. Writing is something that she could not part with. Her books are on the New York Time Bestsellers list and inform and motivate readers to demand changes in the society. Some authors write books that make no difference in the world; Catherine is an author who makes changes in the world by showing her passion in her literary works.

[10] In Catherine’s book, “The Case Against Lawyers,” she writes that citizens of the United States have to take action since politicians and bureaucrats have already turned the law into “an Instrument of Tyranny.”[11] She is a leader who motivates people to demand changes in their lives. By her obversation, the legal system in the country is unfair. Because of this unfair legal system, most of the people have frustrations, and only a few people actually profit and get the resluts they want. In Catherine’s point of view, people in this nation have precious democratic freedoms, therefore, they should find ways to solve the problems that exist in the country. As she says, “Our great cornerstone of democracy, the Rule of Law, has become a source of power and influence, not liberty and justice,”[12] Catherine realizes the problem and makes people think about it. Her writing calls into question the dictatorial power-grabbing of the bureaucrats and why the elected representatives remain silent. After reading her books, it became apparent that the law that our great founders made has already been used by lawyers and politicans as tools; in other words, it has partly lost its original function. As a former state judge and now an acclaimed author and journalist, Catherine has not given up her “[desire] to bring justice to the world”.[13] She is a leader who is concerned about legal issues in the society. In her writing, she expresses her will to make changes in the legal system. After reading Catherine’s writing, I came to believe that in our lifetime, government will make civics another central part of education, along with math, science and liberal arts. “As a judge, [she] believes [her] responsibility was to run a courtroom to protect the judicial process and the rights of the parties”.[14] Even though Catherine is not a state judge anymore, she wants to inform other people that the change is needed, and that is what a leader will always do.

After ending her career as a state judge, Catherine Crier hosted a TV show. Before her show, Catherine Crier Live, was cancled on CourtTV, Dr. Bruce Weinstein [15]arranged a short interview for this seven-year show host. The first question that Dr. Bruce Weinstein asked was about the guideline Catherine has used in her life. Catherine said, “Justice Potter Stewart set out an excellent guideline with the following definition; ethics is ‘knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is the right thing to do’”.[16] However, through her personal understanding, Catherine re-defined the term “ethics.” She believed that “to know the difference is not enough. You must act upon such knowledge to lead a truly ethical life”.[17] “Act” is something superior to just “know.” My role model encourages me to do something that I want to do in my life, and I do know that I want to be a teacher in the future. However, knowing my desire is not enough, I have to “act;” I have to really take action to pursue my goal.

Following the lead of Catherine Crier, I did act to get closer to my dream to be a teacher. During my high school years, I gained a lot of teaching experiences. Since I am an international student from China, and Mandarin is my native language, I was able to teach Chinese in my spare time. During my last two years in the United States, I accumulated 125 hours in volunteering as a teacher of Mandarin at the Talent Academy. Since math is one of my strongest subjects, I also tutored varsity basketball players during my junior year. After my tutelage, their average in advanced math class improved from C’s to B’s. Practicing teaching and tutoring in my spare time is real “acting.” Since I came to college, what I will do to continue this kind of “acting” is something I am really concerned about. Enrolling in the UTeach Program in my sophomore year and finding an internship in local schools are my “acts.” Catherine Crier always had an idea on what she wants to do and put these wants into action. Being a state judge, an anchor on TV, a journalist, and an author, she acted and achieved her personal satisfaction.

Catherine Crier is my role model. She has made exceptional decisions to pursue her goals in life. By reading the Constitution and memorizing her heroes’ words, Catherine has enriched her experience in the field of law and justice. Writing has also played important role in her life; Catherine is the one of these authors that made changes in the world by showing her passion in her literary works. Catherine showed people that “knows without acts equals not know,” therefore, by following her, I am willing to put my will into action and eventually achieve my goals. Catherine is a leader in all the fields that she has been in; I am proud of having such a great role model in my life. (1453)

Video: This is a short video of one of Catherine Crier’s TV shows, Crier Wire. [18]

Catherine always has some really good monologues at the end of her show, and in this video, she talked about President Bush’s abuse of power. Catherine’s books have informed and motivated readers to demand changes in the society; she also showed great concern about this country in her show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u794cJ_u6BU

U.R.L: https://webspace.utexas.edu/rw7942/DB/P1%23.htm?uniq=lyeflv

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[1] Avrel Seale, “Catherine Crier: from Judge to Television Journalist,” in Course Anthology, ed. Jerome Bump (Austin: Jenn’s, 2007), 933.

[2] Page one of the original copies of the Constitution, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Constitution_Pg1of4_AC.jpg.

[3] U.S Constitution, the Preamble, http://www.gpoaccess.gov/constitution/pdf2002/010.pdf.

[4] Avrel Seale, “Catherine Crier: from Judge to Television Journalist,” in Course Anthology, ed. Jerome Bump (Austin: Jenn’s, 2007), 933.

[5] To kill a mockingbird, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Mockingbirdfirst.JPG.

[6] Harper Lee, To kill a Mockingbird (New York: HarperCollins, 1960), http://pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/barrons/mocking17.asp.

[7] Clarence Darrow, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Clarence_Darrow.jpg.

[8] Catherine Crier, “A Degree in Citizenship,” The Huffington Post, May 21, 2006, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/catherine-crier/a-degree-in-citizenship_b_21404.html.

[9] Avrel Seale, “Catherine Crier: from Judge to Television Journalist,” in Course Anthology, ed. Jerome Bump (Austin: Jenn’s, 2007), 933.

[10] The Case against Lawyers, http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/images/0767905040/ref=dp_image_0/701-8312116-3587540?ie=UTF8&n=916520&s=books.

[11] Catherine Crier, The Case against Lawyers (New York: Broadway, 2002), 1.

[12] Catherine Crier, “A Degree in Citizenship,” The Huffington Post, May 21, 2006, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/catherine-crier/a-degree-in-citizenship_b_21404.html.

[13] Avrel Seale, “Catherine Crier: from Judge to Television Journalist,” Course Anthology, ed. Jerome Bump (Austin: Jenn’s, 2007), 933.

[14] Catherine Crier, “Journalism and the Law,” Crier Communications, February 23, 2007, http://www.criercommunications.com/PDF/SyraLawRev.pdf.

[15] Catherine Crier’s interview, http://txtell.lib.utexas.edu/stories/c0008-full.html.

[16] Bruce Weinstein, “Ask the Ethics Guy; Ethics at Work… and Beyond,” Crier Communications, http://www.criercommunications.com/page/pub_articles1.html.

[17] Ibid.

[18] If George were King! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u794cJ_u6BU.