Pilot is the season one and series premiere of For the People.
Short Summary[]
Set in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (a.k.a. “The Mother Court”), the new Shondaland series follows six talented young lawyers working on opposite sides of the law and handling the most high-profile and high-stakes federal cases in the country. These lawyers will be put to the test both personally and professionally as their lives intersect in and out of America’s most prestigious trial court.
Full Summary[]
Sandra Bell exits the metro station and looks in awe at the building of United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
She enters the building and walks down an empty hallway. She tries to open the door to a courtroom, but it's still locked. She sits down on a bench. She tries the door again, but it's still locked. She sits down again. Soon after, Kate Littlejohn comes up. Sandra tells her the door is locked. Kate tries for herself, and then sits down on the bench opposite of Sandra. She tells Sandra she can go in first once the doors are unlocked. Jay Simmons comes running over. They are all an hour early. He sits down next to Kate and goes to eat his breakfast taco, but she tells him he can't eat in here. He figures she's a prosecutor. She tells him to go eat on Sandra's bench. He goes to do so.
More people arrive, among them Allison Adams, Sandra's roommate. Sandra asks about Seth, Allison's boyfriend. Allison says they are keeping things professional today. She has no boyfriend today. Seth arrives and sits down next to Kate. He and Allison smile at each other. Leonard Knox arrives right on time, goes straight for the doors, and finds they are unlocked now. Before he can go in, Kate tells him that Sandra was here first. He doesn't care and goes in.
The new lawyers enter the courtroom. They are welcomed by Tina Krissman, clerk of Court. She tells the federal public defenders to sit on the left and the attorneys to sit on the right, as she's learned they don't like to sit together in the 27 years she's worked here. This is the swearing-in for AUSAs and FPDs. She introduces herself and tells her what times she's available. She then smells the onions from Jay's taco and promises she'll find out who's guilty. She then introduces Chief Judge Nicholas Byrne. He welcomes them to the most prestigious, highest-profile trial court in America. He asks them if they are worthy. People call this The Mother Court. The cases are hard, the stakes are high, and the lawyers on the opposite side are better, and the judges are smarter than them. Some of the new lawyers won't succeed, but for those who are worthy, their time here will be the highlight of their career. He then leads in reciting the oath of office with the new lawyers joining in. Once they're done, he officially welcomes them to The Mother Court.
The new lawyers exit the building, with FPDs Sandra, Allison, and Jay going separate ways from AUSAs Kate, Seth, and Leonard.
Jill Carlan, an FPD, welcomes the new FPDs and hands each of them their first case. She tells them they won't win. They are up against the government, and they almost always win because they have all the power. The good news is they don't need to win, they just need a win: reducing the charge, getting a piece of critical testimony thrown out, or getting their client released on bail. She knows they are capable of doing that, or they wouldn't be here. Sandra looks around the office and notices a whiteboard for the attorney on duty.
At the US Attorney's office, Roger Gunn welcomes the AUSAs. He hands them their first case, and just tells them he expects them to win. Leonard reads his case, which he likes, and asks Seth about his. It's a terrorism case, which peaks Leonard's interest.
Sandra finds Jill and asks her what duty means. She explains the attorney on duty takes on the new cases that come in. Sandra says she has the experience to do it. Jill doubts her clerking experiences for the Supreme Court qualify, but Sandra insists she's ready. Jill agrees to put her on duty. Sandra asks what she has to do. Jill tells her to use her experience. She takes Sandra's case from her.
Allison and Sandra are on their way to the courthouse as they talk about Sandra putting herself on duty, which Allison thinks is insane. Jay comes up and talks about his assigned case, a trumped up fraud charge. He's going to talk to and trust his client. He inquires about their friendship and finds out they have known each other since the first day of law school and are now living together.
Seth walks into Kate's office and comments on her dedicated work with tabs and markers. She's preparing for a bail hearing. He heard she's a procedural guru and wants to ask her something, but she doesn't want to be the help desk for every man who's too lazy to look something up for himself. He goes to leave to do so, but she says that he shouldn't waste his time if it's about the terrorism case, which she thinks won't be his much longer.
Leonard and Seth are in Roger's office. Leonard finds his case too simple and he wants the terrorism case since it matters. Besides, he thinks Seth is nowhere near ready for this case because of his work at a mid tier law firm. Seth says he's humble enough to recognize that and work much harder because of it. Roger then switches their cases since he's not a fan of humility.
Seth is telling Allison about what Leonard pulled. She tells him to work hard on his new case so he'll be recognized for the good lawyer that he is. Allison says it's time for her first appearance as attorney. The same goes for him.
They get off the elevator and find they are to go up against each other.
Sandra is at Tina's desk and says she'll wait right there for incoming cases. Tina says she e-mailed her a case 15 minutes ago, but Sandra doesn't have service here. Tina informs her her hearing starts in 8 minutes in courtroom 601. She advises Sandra to avoid the elevator. Sandra rushes off.
Sandra enters the courtroom and introduces herself to her client, Mohamed Fayed. She asks Leonard what the charge is. He tells her 18 USC 2332(A)(3), which means that Mohamed attempted to use a weapon of mass destruction against any government property. Sandra asks what he allegedly wanted to destroy. Instead of replying, Leonard introduces himself. As the judge appears, Leonard informs her that Mohamed attempted to blow up the Statue of Liberty. Sandra returns to her client, visibly shaken by the information.
Allison and Seth's hearing has started. The defendant is Madeline Locarno, accused of insider trading. Allison corrects this: the complaint is that she passed information on to her ex-husband, which they deny. Nicholas scoffs upon hearing that the value of the trades was around $9,000 dollars.
Seth and Allison exit the courtroom. She thought it was fun, but he says they have to get off the case. She tells him to go talk to Roger.
In Jay's hearing, he asks the judge for reasonable bail so his client, Adam Dyle, can continue to care for his twin brother, who is dying of cancer. Kate stands up and says she finds herself moved to indignation. Adam doesn't have a twin brother, and Adam's name also depends on what con he is running. Adam is charged with creating the fake United States Bureau of Organization to issue fake governmental purchase orders, with which he swindled money from small businesses all over New York. It makes her sick.
The judge asks Sandra and Leonard to let her know if there are plea discussions. Leonard says they are already talking. Sandra is dumbfounded. Leonard says they are offering 15 years instead of life. Sandra hasn't seen the discovery yet and she needs to see it in order to make a deal. He tells her he feels bad for her, but he is the guy who makes it worse, who you don't want to go up against. He's offering her a way out.
Back at the firm, Sandra tells Jill that there must be something wrong with the evidence if they are offering a deal like this. Jill says she has to reject the offer to find out, and that means going to trial and she will lose. She offers to have someone else take the case and talks about the 1993 San Francisco Giant season, in which they won a record 103 games but didn't make the play-offs because they lost the final game because of a rookie. She advises Sandra to talk to Mohamed about the deal.
In jail, Jay meets with Adam, who dislikes Jay now. He claims he was just following Bureau protocol and that the purchase orders were for a technical upgrade. He believes it's exists.
Sandra is meeting with Mohamed in jail. She thinks she might be able to get the offer down to 10 years. Mohamed nods and asks what the others are getting. She asks what others. He's talking about his team. She didn't know about them.
At Allison's apartment, Seth is telling Allison that he's not getting of their case. Madeline broke the law. Allison says it's not a problem as she's convinced she'll beat him. They share a kiss. They agree they can do this and start making out. Sandra comes in with a worried look on her face. Seth leaves. Sandra tells Allison she's about to do something risky but she believes it's the right thing to do and she needs Allison to support her.
Leonard receives a call from Sandra. She tells him to send over the discovery. They officially refuse the deal. She's going to save Mohamed.
The discovery has arrived as Jill comes to yell at Sandra for refusing the plea deal without talking to her, which is a big mistake. She better find something in these boxes.
Jay visits Kate in her office and tells her that Adam couldn't have committed the alleged fraud because fraud requires intent to deceive, and Adam believes all he did was real. No intent, no crime. He's prepared to work something out. She then shows him jail security footage of Adam on the phone, talking about how his lawyer is a tool who believes anything. Jay is left speechless.
Leonard is talking to Roger about Sandra requesting the discovery. They both know what's in there. Roger tells Leonard he wanted the case, so he has to make it work. Or he can give it back to Seth, who appears in the doorway. Leonard decides against that and leaves. Seth follows Roger around and talks about opposing counsel being his girlfriend. Roger says Madeline can waive that conflict. Also, Seth doesn't really understand why they are prosecuting a secretary over that little money. Roger says because the secretary broke the law, and everyday people need to be reminded that you can't break the law.
Madeline is meeting with Allison. She says everybody in the company knew about the merger and she told to her ex-husband that she feared she'd lose her job. He then traded on that information without her knowledge and Madeline never got anything out of it.
Seth is handed a motion to dismiss.
Roger tells him this is good, and he's not just talking about Seth's girlfriend. Seth doesn't know how to respond to this. Roger says he just needs to make it irrelevant. He should raise the stakes and apply pressure.
Allison informs Jill they received a superseding indictment with three new charges that, together, could mean significant jail time. Jill says it's cruel and typical Roger Gunn. They are forcing them into a deal, which is how they win.
Allison and Seth are arguing at the apartment. He says he was never going to prosecute the original charges and that he just did what he needed to do. This is pure business. Allison says he just did what his diabolical boss told him to do. And this is personal because Madeline is a real person with a daughter who might actually go to jail. She asks Seth why he's doing this. Seth says because he actually believes in what he does. Madeline broke the law and there's virtue in informing the law. Allison says he wouldn't be doing this if he believed in what he was doing.
Allison shows up at Sandra's office and vents her frustration over Seth. Sandra is two boxes away from getting fired. She's at her limit but that's where Mohamed needs her to be. Allison wants to get drunk. They will work for two more hours and then they'll hit the bar, where they'll play darts so Allison can work out her frustration. Sandra then finds photos. Mohamed's team were undercover FBI agents, which means it was a sting.
Sandra tells Jill that a team of three agents had been working with Mohamed for 18 months. He was supposed to carry what he believed to be a bomb into the crown of the Statue, but he was mistakenly arrested by a National Parks Service Ranger before he could get there. Jill hands Sandra a bunch of paper to put in her bag, which will make the other side think they have something that they don't know about. This is a teaching moment.
Jill and Roger are arguing while Leonard notices the paper in Sandra's bag. Jill says this case is about attempt, which they can't prove because Mohamed was arrested before he got to the Statue. Leonard says he was arrested on Liberty Island with a bomb, which counts as a substantial commitment towards commission of the crime. Sandra says the plan was always to wait to arrest him as soon as he got to the crown, because that's what they thought they needed to prove attempt. Roger concludes they can work this out themselves. Jill says they are not done yet. Roger then hands her an envelope.
Outside the building, Sandra sees the envelope contains Yankee tickets. Jill and Roger go to games together. Jill tells her they now think they are going to argue attempt and direct a lot of resources at that, but this is an entrapment case. Sandra should make sure she has one.
Kate and Leonard end up at the same restaurant. He allows her to order first since she got there first, and then orders the same. He then announces she's part of an important new tradition of her life. She has to eat with him at this restaurant every night before first day of trial. She likes a tradition, so she's in. She asks if he's nervous about the trial. He's not since he's going to win. That's what she would be nervous about.
Sandra is working late.
Jill and Sandra arrive at the courthouse.
Leonard asks Lou Palamad, the Ranger who arrested Mohamed, to tell them what happened. Lou says he saw Mohamed get off the ferry with a camera, looking jittery and sweaty. He asked to see the camera and then he realized it was a bomb.
Sandra's now interrogating Lou. It was a fake bomb made by the FBI, but Lou didn't know that at the time. Nor did he know the FBI had been recruting Mohamed for 18 months. Mohamed has no history of violence or terrorist affiliations. As she sits down, Leonard tells her's arguing entrapment instead of attempt. She knows.
Leonard and Roger exit the courtroom. Sandra is relentless, Roger says. Leonard says she's a fighter, so he'll give her something else to fight about.
Leonard is interrogating Mr. Rocton, who worked on the ferry the day Mohamed was arrested. He remembers Mohamed well. Leonard sits down and Roger wonders what the point of that was. Sandra gets up, which Leonard says was his goal. Sandra aggressively asks if Rocton remembers Mohamed well. He does. He's worked on that ferry 19 years, 25 ferries a day, so Sandra questions how he could remember Mohamed well unless his memory was jogged by the government. Rocton yells he quit his job because of Mohamed. That ferry was the last ferry he ever worked. He was on Liberty Island on 9/11, so the idea that someone wanted to blow Her up now really stuck with him.
Jill yells at Sandra for asking a question she didn't know the answer to. She got baited into a fight. This is war, so she has to pick her battles, point her weapon the right direction, and know her enemy. Right now, Sandra is her own biggest enemy. She wants to fight everyone about everything, but it ends up with her fighting about nothing.
Allison tells Madeline the bad news. If she doesn't plead guilty, they are risking years in prison. Madeline asks how she could let this happen.
Allison and Seth cross paths at the courthouse, but she ignores him.
Jay is rewatching the security footage of Adam calling him a tool.
Sandra is looking through photos of Mohamed as a kid. Allison comes in and lies down on her bed. It's come down to her having to take the deal, which is good. Sandra wonders for her or for Madeline. Six months in jail and a record as a convicted felon is not good for Madeline. Allison says the only other move is ethically questionable and it would destroy Seth. It's the nuclear option. Sandra apologizes and lies down with her. Allison expected her to advocate for the nuclear option. She asks what happened in trial today. Sandra admits she messed up. Allison takes her hand and tells her she believes in her.
Sandra is waiting for the doors to the courtroom to be opened.
She enters the courtroom with Tina. More people arrive over time.
Leonard tells the jury that they live in a dangerous time. Their enemies used to be overseas, but now they are living on the battlefield and they can't see the enemy. They look and talk like them. They only find out who they are and the damage they want to do after they have done it. The only chance they have at fighting these individuals is to find out who they are before they commit their crime, and that is what the agents did. They found a man willing to commit an unspeakable crime and they stopped him. Sandra will tell them it's government's doing, but they have to ask themselves how much time and money it would take them to be convinced to blow up the statue of liberty.
Sandra tells the jury that the function of law enforcement is the prevention of crime and the apprehension of criminals. That does not include the manufacturing of crime. That was written by a judge 60 years ago about a case that was ruled in this very room. Mohamed is no criminal. Law enforcement didn't prevent a crime, they manufactured one. Instead of hunting actual terrorists, the government made one. They contacted, befriended, and trained him. They picked a target and built him the bomb. Sandra shows the jury a picture of young Mohamed. This boy is who Mohamed is. She points at him sitting at her table and says that is the man the government made. It's easy to become distracted and focus on the wrong things, but this case is about the power of the government being used to systematically target and incarcerate innocent citizens because of their religion, ethnicity, national origin, or color. It's an awesome power, but the jury has the power to resist. They have the power of justice and there is nothing more powerful than that. As Sandra sits down in her chair, Jill gestures she did well.
Nicholas understands that the parties have reached a deal. Seth confirms, but Allison then decides to go for the nuclear option. She has first-hand knowledge that the AUSA filed the superseding indictment and additional charges for the sole purpose of pressuring Madeline into a deal. That's an ethical violation. Seth tells her that was a personal conversation. She thought it was business. Nicholas asks if this is true. He agrees to keep off the record if he dismisses the case against Madeline. Seth can't do that. Nicholas says he'll then expedite a ruling on the motion to dismiss. Either way, this case is going away.
Kate informs Jay she's going for a 64-month sentence. Adam is a habitual, unrepentant con man who ruined lives. Jay says he's a flawed human being, but prison isn't the answer. He tells her to have some compassion. She has compassion for people who follow the rules. He wonders if Kate ever broke a rule for which she didn't pay the appropriate price, if mercy and kindness ever changed her path. She tells him he could be a good lawyer if he tried.
The jury for United States vs. Fayed rules that Mohamed is guilty. Mohamed is taken away as Leonard looks him in the eye with no compassion whatsoever. Sandra, however, is distraught.
At the US Attorney's office, Leonard is congratulated. He goes to see Kate in her office and mentions their restaurant. He notes she's not celebrating. She says she doesn't celebrate people going to jail. He asks if he can sit. She allows it. He watches her work as he lets her reply sink in.
Seth arrives at the apartment and tells Allison he's on probation. At first, she says she's sorry, but then she says she's not because she was just doing her job. She did what she had to do. Seth says he's now going to do what he has to do: he's leaving.
Jill finds Sandra sitting in the courtroom by herself. She told her they were going to lose. She was going up against the government, the media, the culture, everything and everybody. The question is what she does now. She mentions a rookie who started for the New York Giants in centerfield and sucked. He cried and his manager told him to go home and come back and play tomorrow. Next game, first inning, he hit a homerun. That didn't stop. Sandra knows she's talking about Willie Mays, the greatest player of all time. She admits to following baseball. Jill says that should tell her first game doesn't always tell you where you are going to end up. Sandra wonders what she got out of this. Jill tells her she got beat, and now she has to get up.
Nicholas goes home.
Seth packs his stuff and leaves the apartment.
Leonard sits with Kate as she puts her binders in a box.
Jay sits on the steps of the courthouse.
Jill and Roger enjoy the baseball game.
Tina closes up the empty courtroom.
Sandra comes home and asks Allison where Seth is. Allison says she has no boyfriend today. Sandra's sorry. She then tells Allison she wants to show her something.
Sandra and Allison are walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. Allison asks Sandra to stay with her. It was meant to be temporary, but it's free and they have to do this together. Sandra wouldn't want to do it any other way. They turn around and Sandra points at The Mother Court. Allison asks if they are worthy. They decide they are. They then walk back to Manhattan.
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
- Hope Davis as Jill Carlan
- Ben Shenkman as Roger Gunn
- Jasmin Savoy Brown as Allison Adams
- Susannah Flood as Kate Littlejohn
- Wesam Keesh as Jay Simmons
- Regé-Jean Page as Leonard Knox
- Ben Rappaport as Seth Oliver
- Britt Robertson as Sandra Bell
- Anna Deavere Smith as Tina Krissman
- Vondie Curtis Hall as Judge Nicholas Byrne
Guest Stars[]
- Brian Huskey as Adam Dyle
- Tara Buck as Madeline Locarno
- John Lacy as Mr. Rocton
- Marwan Salama as Mohamed Fayed
Co-Starring[]
- Pamela Shaddock as Judge Alice Reed
- Diane Chernansky as Judge Bates
- Skyler Hart as Lou Palamad
- Julie Lancaster as Jury Foreperson
- Nelson Mashita as Clerk
Legal Cases[]
The United States v Mohamed Fayed[]
Mohamed Fayed was in court accused of attempting to bomb the Statue of Liberty. The prosecution offered a deal for 15 years instead of life. After speaking with Mohamed, Sandra decided to turn down the deal and instead requested the discovery from the case. She reviewed the files and found that it was a sting operation and the people he had worked with her undercover FBI agents. In court, they heard from the man who had arrested Mohamed and a witness who saw him with the bomb. Sandra argued entrapment by the FBI to make Mohamed into a terrorist. Despite this argument, the jury returned with a guilty verdict.
The United States v Madeline Locarno[]
Madeline Locarno was in court accused of insider trading through her ex-husband. When she heard her company was merging with another, she told her ex-husbad because she was worried she might get laid off, as happens often during mergers. He used the information to trade stocks and earn a little over $9000 in the stock market. They believed she'd told him with the intent of him making the trades. She said she hadn't made any money off it and had no knowledge of his actions. To try to force a deal, Seth filed more charges against her. When they went to court, Allison told the judge about this and the case against Madeline was dropped.
The United States v Adam Dyle[]
Adam Dyle was in court accused of creating a fake government organization to swindle money from small businesses around New York. When he met with his FPD, Jay, he acted like he believed the organization was real, but a video of him talking to a friend on the phone revealed that he was faking it. Jay and Kate then made a deal for a 64-month sentence.
Music[]
| Song | Performer | Scene |
|---|---|---|
| "Fade Away" | Logic |
|
| "Nemesis" | Benjamin Clementine |
|
| "One More Night" | Michael Kiwanuka |
|
| "Legends" | Know-Madik |
|
Notes and Trivia[]
- This episode scored 3.22 million viewers.
- The pilot was originally shot with Britne Oldford as Sandra Bell and Lyndon Smith as Allison Adams, but they were recast with Britt Robertson and Jasmin Savoy Brown, respectively, before production on the first season began.
- The pilot was reshot after the recast.
- The scene on the Brooklyn Bridge was actually shot on location, as were the scenes right outside the courthouse.
Gallery[]
Episode Stills[]
Quotes[]
- Kate: What is that?
- Jay: Breakfast taco, Austin style. Scrambled eggs, onions...
- Kate: You're not allowed to eat in here.
- Jay: Why not?
- Kate: Because you're not allowed to eat in here. There's a sign out front.
- Jay: I didn't see a sign.
- Kate: Ignorance is no excuse.
- Jay: You're a prosecutor, aren't you?
- Kate: Why don't you eat that over there?
- Jay: Why? Because I'm a public defender or because of the migas?
- Kate: Do I have to choose?
- Tina: Assistant United States Attorneys to the right. Federal Public Defenders to the left. You can sit together if you like, but if I've learned anything after 27 years of doing this, it's that you don't like to sit together. This is the swearing-in for incoming AUSAs and FPDs. Please check your ticket. Make sure you're on the right flight. My name is Tina Krissman. I am the clerk of court, I am on the second floor of this building, and I am available every day from 7:50 AM to 4:40 PM to ignore your questions. I smell onions. I will find you. Chief Judge Nicholas Byrne.
- Nicholas: There are two great courts in America the Supreme Court, and the one you're sitting in right now. This is the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York the oldest, most prestigious, highest-profile trial court in America. This is the court that heard claims over the sinking of the Titanic. This is the court that heard the case against the Rosenbergs. Aaron Burr was a lawyer in this court. Are you worthy? You've probably heard that some people call this The Mother Court. For as long as you work here, you will call it home. The cases are hard, the stakes are high, the lawyers on the other side are better than you, and the judges are smarter than you. Some of you won't succeed. Some of you are not worthy. But for those of you who are, your time here will be the highlight of your career.
- All: I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Government of the United States, that I will maintain the respect due to the Courts of Justice and the Judicial Officers, and that I will demean myself as an attorney, proctor, advocate, and counselor of this Court uprightly, according to law, so help me God.
- Nicholas: Welcome to the Mother Court.
- Jill: Inside these envelopes is your first case, and let me warn you You're not gonna win. You're up against the United States government, and the government almost always wins because they have all the power. Now, here's the good news. You don't need to win. You need a win. Reduce the charge, get a piece of critical testimony thrown out, get your client released on bail get something. If you can do that, you've won. And I know you can do that or you wouldn't be here.
- Seth: I heard you were a procedural guru. Can I ask you a question?
- Kate: If you have to, but I don't want to be the help desk for every man in this office too lazy to look something up for himself. Were you too lazy to look this up for yourself?
- Seth: I can look this up myself.
- Roger: Leonard doesn't think you're ready for this case.
- Seth: Well, he's right. Neither one of us is ready for a case like this, but I'm at least humble enough to recognize it, and I'll work that much harder because of it.
- Roger: Never been a fan of humility.
- Jay: Your Honor, this is a minor fraud charge, and we're simply asking for reasonable bail so that my client, Adam Dyle, can continue to care for his twin brother, who is dying of cancer.
- Kate: I find myself unexpectedly moved by defense counsel. To indignation. Adam Dyle's brother isn't dying of cancer, because he doesn't exist. Nor really does Adam Dyle, which isn't that man's name. His name is Matthew Ormond. Or wait. No, it's Baron Heinz Geinecke. I'm sorry. Did I say Baron Heinz Geinecke? I meant Abigail Konogo. It really depends on what con he's running. They're not hard to track down, if you do a little work.
- Leonard: Listen, you seem bright, and you got dealt a bad hand here, and I'm sorry about that. I really am. I feel bad for you, but don't make it worse. Because here's the thing you need to understand about me I'm the guy who makes it worse. I'm the guy you don't want to go up against. I didn't stumble into this case. I saw it, I wanted it, and I took it. Now I'm offering you a way to get out of it.
- Seth: I need to be reassigned.
- Roger: 'Cause of your boo? Her client can waive the conflict, if that's the problem. Is that the problem?
- Seth: I just don't understand why we're prosecuting a case like this, against a secretary for a $9,000 trade?
- Roger: Well, that is a problem that you don't understand that. So let me spell it out for you. You're prosecuting the case 'cause I told you to. And I told you to prosecute the case 'cause that secretary broke the law. Every now and then, regular, everyday people need to be reminded that there's serious consequences to breaking the law. Whatever the law. Insider trading. Taxes. Stop signs. People start doing whatever the hell they feel like, our whole system breaks down. Cars crash, Markets crash. People get hurt. You understand that?
- Jill: It is war. Which means you have to pick your battles, point your weapon in the right direction, and know your enemy. And right now, your biggest enemy is you. You want to fight everyone about everything and when you fight about everything, you end up fighting about nothing.
- Leonard: We live in a dangerous time. I don't need to tell you that. Our enemies used to be overseas, and we could see them in tanks and airplanes. They wore uniforms, and we fought them on battlefields. But now we're living on the battlefield, and we can't see the enemy. They look like us. They talk like us. They live down the hallway from us. We only find out who they are and the damage they want to do after they've done it. After they've shot up a nightclub. Or blown up a marathon. Or brought down a building. Or two. The only chance we have to fight these enemies is to find out who they are before they do these terrible things, and that's what these fine agents did here. They found a dangerous man who was willing to commit an unspeakable crime, and they stopped him. Ms. Bell wants you to believe that our government did this. Ask yourself how much money, how much time would it take to convince you to blow the head off the Statue of Liberty?
- Sandra: "The function of law enforcement is the prevention of crime and the apprehension of criminals. Manifestly, that function does not include the manufacturing of crime." Chief Justice of the United States Earl Warren wrote that 60 years ago in a case that came out of this very courtroom, decided by a jury sitting in the same seats you're sitting in today. That man is not a criminal, and law enforcement prevented no crime here. They manufactured a crime. Instead of hunting actual terrorists, your government tried to make a terrorist. They contacted him. They befriended him. They trained him. They picked a target for him. They built a bomb for him. They made him. This is Mohammed Fayed. This is Mohammed Fayed. And that is what they made. It's easy to become distracted in a case like this. To become emotional. To focus on the wrong things. But this case is about one thing and one thing only. It is about the power of the United States government being used to systematically target and manipulate and incarcerate American citizens because of their religion, their ethnicity, their national origin, their color. It is an awesome power. But what you have today is even more powerful. You have the power to say no. You have the power to resist. In this courthouse, in this courtroom, in those seats today, you have the awesome power of justice and there's nothing more powerful than that.
- Jay: Prison isn't the answer for everything. Have some compassion.
- Kate: I have compassion for people who follow the rules.
- Jay: Did you ever break a rule? In your whole life? For which you didn't pay the appropriate price? Has that ever happened? Did you ever get the benefit of compassion and generosity for mistakes that you made? Did mercy and kindness ever change your path?
- Kate: You could be a good lawyer. If you tried. You're just not trying.
- Sandra: What did I get?
- Jill: What?
- Sandra: You said, on the first day, "Get something." What did I get today?
- Jill: You got beat. And now you got to get up.
- Allison: You know, I've lived in New York half my life, and I've never walked across this bridge.
- Sandra: Well, I grew up in Sacramento and never went to the California State Railroad Museum. So, I totally understand.
- Allison: I want you to stay with me, Sandra. Live with me in the apartment. I know we said it was temporary until you found a place, but I want you to live there. And don't say you can't afford it, because it's my parents and it's free, okay? We have to do this together.
- Sandra: I don't want to do it any other way. Okay. Stop. Ready? Turn around. There it is. Right there. See it? The Mother Court.
- Allison: Are we worthy?
- Sandra: Yes, I think so. We are.
- Allison: We are worthy.
- Sandra: We're so worthy.
- Allison: Who is worthier than us?
- Sandra: Aaron Burr?
- Allison: Please.
- Sandra: We are worthy.
See Also[]
|
A complete overview of this episode's crew can be found here. |
| Season 1 | |||
| #01 | "Pilot" | #06 | "Everybody's a Superhero" |
| #02 | "Rahowa" | #07 | "Have You Met Leonard Knox?" |
| #03 | "18 Miles Outside of Roanoke" | #08 | "Flippity-Flop" |
| #04 | "The Library Fountain" | #09 | "Extraordinary Circumstances" |
| #05 | "World's Greatest Judge" | #10 | "This is What I Wanted to Say" |
| Season 2 >> | |||