Contempt: How the Right Is Wronging American Justice

by Catherine Crier

You can't play politics with people s lives.

America s federal courts have an enormous impact on the daily lives of Americans. They also make up the last relatively independent branch of government. But, there is a committed and well-organized confederation of ultra-conservative politicians, reactionary interest groups, and fundamentalist religious sects working to change that once and for all. And they are succeeding.

How?

They have a plan. They have money. And they have millions of believers.

A majority of Americans strongly oppose the dogmatic agenda of this extreme right-wing onslaught, but that majority has remained silent.

Someday, you and your family may wake up in a very different country, a country re-made in their intolerant image, a nation governed by their inflexible laws.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics

296 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

An Emmy and duPont-Columbia Award-winning journalist, and the youngest state judge to ever be elected in Texas, Catherine Crier is now a managing partner in Cajole Entertainment developing television, film and documentary projects.

A Dallas native, Crier earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and international affairs from the University of Texas and her Juris Doctor from Southern Methodist University School of Law. She began her career in law in 1978 as an Assistant District Attorney then Felony Chief Prosecutor for the Dallas County District Attorney’s office. From 1982 to 1984, Crier was a civil litigation attorney with Riddle & Brown, handling complex business and corporate matters. In 1984, she was elected to the 162nd District Court in Dallas County, Texas as a State District Judge. During her tenure on the bench, Crier also served as Administrative Judge for the Civil District Courts and worked extensively with the ABA, National Judicial College, and Texas Legislature on legal issues. Shortly after her reelection to a second term on the bench, a chance meeting with a television news executive led to a dramatic career change.

In September, 1989, Crier was hired to co-anchor the premiere evening newscast on CNN. Additionally, she co-anchored Inside Politics, all election coverage, and hosted Crier & Company, a talk show covering news, politics and international issues.

Crier joined ABC News in 1993, where she served as a correspondent and as a regular substitute anchor for Peter Jennings on ABC’s World News Tonight, as well as a substitute host for Ted Koppel’s Nightline. She also worked as a correspondent on 20/20, the network’s primetime news magazine program. Crier was awarded a 1996 Emmy for Outstanding Investigative Journalism for her work on the segment “The Predators” which examined nursing home abuses throughout the United States.

In October of ’96, Crier became one of the founding television anchors for the Fox News Channel, with her prime time program, The Crier Report, a live, hour-long nightly show, during which she interviewed the leading newsmakers of the day. Additionally, she co-anchored the evening news, election coverage and Fox Files, a magazine news show aired on the parent network.

Catherine joined Court TV’s distinguished team of anchors in November 1999. She served as Executive Editor, Legal News Specials, in addition to hosting Catherine Crier Live, a fast-paced, live daily series, covering the day’s “front-page” stories, until joining Cajole Entertainment in 2007.

Crier released her first book, the NYTimes bestseller, The Case Against Lawyers in October, 2002. Her second book, A Deadly Game: The Untold Story of the Scott Peterson Investigation became a #1 NYTimes bestseller and was followed by Contempt—How the Right is Wronging American Justice, and Final Analysis: The Untold Story of the Susan Polk Murder Case. Her fifth book, Patriot Acts—What Americans Must Do to Save the Republic, is scheduled for publication on November 1, 2011.

Reviews

[Jerry Wall · Rating 3 out of 5]

She thinks the Supreme Court leans right and has changed the law via Scalia, Thomas, Rehnquist, et al. to favor big business, and disfavor the individual and non religious.
Far right wish list on abortion, church and state, gov. regulation, gay marriage (too late), on pages 90-1
Fundamentals: 1. Scriptures infallibility
2. The city of Christ (Jesus?)
3. Christ's virgin birth
4. The atonement achieved through Christ's (Jesus?) death.
5. Christ's literal resurrection and literal return in the second coming. p. 120
Right wing Christian groups p. 122 and following.
John Locke test: If the belief cold not beat the scrutiny of rationality, it could not be accepted as the truth. p. 135
Jefferson believed in the God of reason. p. 135
Pledge of Allegiance
Written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, described as a Marxist Socialist
in 1924 the National Flag Conference added "of the United States of America."
in 1954 law passed by both houses and signed by Pres. Eisenhower added " under God"
in 1957, during Red Scare (McCarthy influence?) "In God We Trust" became motto on our money.
p. 145
Good discussion of Constitutional Original Intent and arguing points.p. 167

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have skimmed this book and it has an easy reading ability and a lot of pictures and charts to help break things down. I was looking for a book to help me learn about the national court system. (This book doesn't look a the court system as much as it does congress). The back cover has a map of the United States and list whether each state has judges that were elected by a democratic president or republican. The majority of judges for federal district courts were appointed by Republican Presidents. The author is serious, passionate and sincere about this subject. In the credits she sites a team or researchers who helped her write this book, so it should be credible. The author is a former television news anchor, reporter, best selling author and I believe she was a judge in Texas. This is what convinced me to buy it. She talks a lot about specific Republican congressmen through out the book. I was sort of surprised to find such a book so radically to the left from a Texan judge and mainstream televison reporter. I imagined all reporters cowing to the white house.

[Rock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 7, Stack One

Lots of interesting stuff about how the federal courts were set up and how they work.
A couple chapters in the middle about the Founding Fathers that were fascinating.
For the most part the writing was good as was the flow.
While many good points were made it was mostly a rant about the religious-right.
No footnotes or endnotes.

[Nancy]

This was a real eye opener for me as to how organized the Republican party is and how they are trying to place as many right wing judges as possible.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book, warning Americans about things going on which many of us may not know about. Read it!