About this season
A newcomer to the Supreme Court finds himself a pivotal force on an often deadlocked bench, frequently at odds over hot-button cases in this earnest but brief legal drama.
Episodes (13)
1. Pilot
Aired 15 January 2002 • 60 min
New Justice Joseph Novelli reports for the first Monday in October and handles his first case: whether to grant a stay of execution to an inmate who survived a lightning strike.
2. Age of Consent
Aired 18 January 2002 • 60 min
Justice Novelli is uncertain of his position when the court must decide if a North Dakota court decision to allow a 16-year-old girl to get an abortion should stand.
3. The Price of Liberty
Aired 25 January 2002 • 60 min
The Court must rule on sixth-amendment rights when a murder witness requests to testify in a mask after three previous witnesses are killed.
4. Crime and Punishment
Aired 1 February 2002 • 60 min
Justice Novelli once again finds he's the swing vote when the Court is divided on whether to uphold the three-strikes law carrying a 25-years-to-life sentence for third-strike misdemeanors.
5. Family Affairs
Aired 8 February 2002 • 60 min
A senator with a grudge against Justice Novelli gives a reporter photos of Novelli's uncle accepting an envelope from a Chicago mobster, hoping the photo will discredit the Justice.
6. Dangerous Words
Aired 1 March 2002 • 60 min
As the court considers whether to uphold a decision that protects a Web site calling for the murder of abortion doctors, Novelli is threatened on the Internet.
7. Right to Die
Aired 8 March 2002 • 60 min
Justice Hoskins takes a passionate interest in the Court's case of a woman who wants to terminate life support for her husband, who has been in a coma for nine years.
8. Court Date
Aired 29 March 2002 • 60 min
A high-school basketball star appeals to the Supreme Court when the NBA refuses to let him play professionally until he finishes school.
9. Secrets and Lies
Aired 5 April 2002 • 60 min
The Court must decide whether to uphold Megan's Law when they hear the case of a convicted sex offender who was harassed and threatened after registering.
10. Unprotected Speech
Aired 12 April 2002 • 60 min
The case of a teen accused of violating the Child Pornography Protection Act by morphing his friends' faces with bodies of porn actors on an Internet site.
11. Strip Search
Aired 19 April 2002 • 60 min
The Court must determine whether a man's Constitutional rights were violated when the police took his blood sample out of a hospital dumpster to obtain DNA.
12. Showdown
Aired 22 April 2002 • 60 min
As the Court debates whether a town's ban on guns is unconstitutional, a senator offers Justice Snow information on a colleague that could affect the final decision. Also: Justice Hoskins hosts his annual party, where Ellie catches Miguel's eye; and Chief Justice Brankin and his wife celebrate 40 years of marriage.
13. Family Secrets
Aired 3 May 2002 • 60 min
The Court must decide whether to allow a book culled from the tapes of a deceased CIA officer to be published or allow censorship in order to protect national security.