Who is Nancy Grace?

Nancy Grace, star of CNN Headline News program of the same name and former host of Court TV's Closing Arguments, is no stranger to the media spotlight and unflattering public opinion. The outspoken television host has come under fire many times in recent memory for her views on several high-profile legal cases, outlandish commentary, and in some cases - accusations of unethical legal practices.

But who IS Nancy Grace?

Nancy Ann Grace was born October 23, 1959 in Macon, Georgia. Her chosen career path was to be an English professor upon her graduation from college, but the murder of her fiance' Keith Griffin when Grace was only 19 years old, acted as the catalyst for starting her career in law. Grace enrolled in and graduated from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University and went on to obtain her Masters degree in criminal law from New York University. Later, she went on to teach business law at Georgia State University College of Law. Nancy Grace was also a Special Prosecutor in the Fulton County, GA District Attorney's office, where she amassed 100 trial victories without a single loss.

Her career in television came after she left Fulton County's District Attorney's office. Nancy Grace was approached by Court TV founder Steven Brill to co-host a show with famed defense attorney Johnnie Cochran. After Cochran left the show, Nancy Grace continued to be the sole host and also began hosting a program on CNN. In 2005, Nancy Grace penned a book titled Objection! that was published by Hyperion. After its release, The New York Times accused Nancy Grace of plagiarism for using 359 words in her book from a 2002 NYT article.

In 2007, Nancy Grace announced that she was leaving Court TV to focus on the CNN program. That year proved to be a pivotal one in Nancy Grace's life. In 2007, she also announced that she had secretly married her longtime friend David Linch and that she was expecting twins the following January. Nancy Grace's twins, John David and Lucy Elizabeth, were delivered in November 2007 via emergency C-section.

Why has Nancy Grace rubbed so many people the wrong way?

The answer to that question will depend greatly upon whom you ask. The aforementioned plagiarism is one of those reasons. However, there have been several other instances over the years in which people argue that Nancy Grace's character and demeanor are unprofessional for a person in her position. In 1994, The Supreme Court of Georgia declared a mistrial in the drug trafficking case of Bell v State due to Nancy Grace's inference drawing from unrelated cases. In 1997, the same court cited Nancy Grace for 'inappropriate and illegal conduct' over the course of the trial of W.W. Carr. In 2005, The 11^th Circuit Court of Appeals accused Grace of playing 'fast and loose' with her ethical duties in the 1990 trial of Herbert Stephens.

Her television career has been riddled with perceived misconducts as well. Presently, Nancy Grace is facing a wrongful death suit by the family of Melinda Duckett. Duckett committed suicide shortly after a televised interview with Nancy Grace in 2006, in which she asked Duckett several pressing questions about her missing son, two year old Trenton Duckett.

Nancy Grace also received flack about the Duke University Lacrosse Scandal in which she adamantly stated that the three lacrosse players charged with gang rape were guilty of said charges, even after they were cleared of the charges in court.

In another high-profile interview, Nancy Grace repeatedly asked Elizabeth Smart about her abductors and her experience while she was being held captive, even after Smart politely stated she was not at the interview to discuss that matter. When Grace persisted, Elizabeth Smart defiantly stated that she was not going to discuss the matter and that she did not appreciate Grace's repeated attempts to get her to divulge information that she was not comfortable sharing.

Aside from this, there have been other claims that Nancy Grace embellished facts, both in her personal life and her professional life. It's been widely speculated that parts of her aforementioned book Objection! that dealt with the murder of her fiance have been partly fabricated.

Finally, what rubs most people the wrong way about Nancy Grace is her off the cuff commentary and no holds barred questions. One instance of this was prevalent during her programs dealing with the recent raid of the YFZ Ranch in El Dorado, Texas. Grace has been quoted as calling the ranch 'a sex offender's paradise' and the breakaway Mormon sect a 'cult'. Further, Grace went on to say they were a 'group of child molesters'.

But how much DO people hate Nancy Grace?

The answer to that question can be summed up in one website:

www.nancygracemustdie.com