Law & Order (1990) s19e07 Episode Script
Zero
In the criminal justice system the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups, the police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders.
These are their stories.
Stomp on this.
Hey, how's it going? Hey! Good.
Dad says this is how they make wine.
Out of dirty laundry? Okay, I'm heading out.
Farmer's Market, bulk store, garden.
I left the empty bottles for you on the counter.
Am I forgetting anything? No, you're a trooper.
Uh Do you need us to step out for a minute? No, that's okay.
You guys should get a move on.
The birthday party's at 3:00.
Bye, kiddo.
Have fun, okay? Bye, Mommy.
What do you think? The victim's name is Nancy Hartwig.
She and her husband have a garden here.
That's the community compost.
Yeah, I thought I smelled something.
Yeah.
Woman who found her has a garden here, too.
Heard the victim arguing with someone around 3:30.
Couldn't say about what, just that it was a man's voice.
Cash and credit cards are still here.
There's a blunt force to the head.
There's a shovel here, with blood on the blade.
Where's CSU? We're going to need to run this thing for prints.
We might have more than we need.
They share their tools.
Our killer may not be a gardener anyway.
First rule of composting, no meat.
Oh.
Nancy Um, my son's going to be home any minute.
Maybe you'd be more comfortable in your apartment? Uh Hey, something wrong with the elevator? We don't use it.
What floor do you live on? Nine.
I'll see you up there.
Very sorry to hear about your loss, Mr.
Hartwig.
When was the last time that you saw your wife? She left around 1:00, to do some errands and go to the garden.
And I took Zach to a birthday party.
Mind if I turn on a light? We shut the power off.
Computer's working.
Yeah, we run that off a solar panel.
And you don't use electricity or the elevator, you grow your own food.
Well, we're trying to live without leaving a carbon footprint.
I started a blog.
Just got a book contract.
Carbon footprint.
How did she die? Uh, we think it was a blunt force to the head.
God Um, I need to call her sister.
That's fine.
The victim was a freelance designer, she worked from her home.
Witnesses put her at the Union Square Farmer's Market around 2:00.
She bought lentils and kidney beans alone.
An hour later she's dead.
The M.
E.
's report confirms a shovel to the head.
Thirteen different sets of prints on the handle.
Did you guys see the husband's blog, at zeroenergyfootprint.
com? They don't eat anything that wasn't raised within 100 miles of their building.
They took their cell phones, put them in a drawer.
Their car in a long-term lot.
Stopped using the elevator.
No paper, no plastic, which means no take-out.
No magazines, no paper towels.
No toilet paper? Left hand and a bowl of water.
Half the world still does it that way.
That's nasty.
You know, no wonder she was drinking.
Her blood alcohol was.
04.
Lady stopped for a cocktail? Martinis apparently.
Her stomach contents included green olives.
Well, then she broke one of the rules.
Not too many olive trees within 100 miles of their apartment.
Check out the bars around Union Square.
See if she was breaking any other rules.
Hey, so when you were overseas, doing intel in the boonies Left hand and a bowl of water.
That's nasty.
Yeah, she was in.
Comes in quite often.
Has a martini, sometimes just a water.
She's not much of a drinker.
Mmm-hmm.
Did she ever use the bathroom? I guess.
Your bathroom have toilet paper? Yeah, don't they all? You'd be surprised.
Yeah, was she always alone? Usually.
Couple times she met up with a guy.
She did.
Uh, when was the last time? I don't know, uh, last week.
We're pretty busy in here.
You know his name? No.
You remember if he used a credit card? Maybe.
You know, I can get you a print-out with a couple hundred names on it if you want.
We want.
Okay.
So, she comes in to use some toilet paper, ends up eating an olive, and meets a guy.
It's a slippery slope.
If she was having an affair who'd she tell? No way.
If she was cheating on Joe, she would've told me.
We're sisters, we talked about everything.
Mmm-hmm, did she tell you about a man that she met at the Bronte Hotel bar? No.
I'm sure he was just a friend.
It seems like her husband was driving this whole zero footprint thing.
I mean, that had to be a strain on the relationship.
Nancy had doubts.
She wasn't sure that walking up all those stairs was going to stop global warming.
When was the last time you saw your sister? Uh, a couple of weeks ago.
I had a minor medical emergency.
I needed someone to watch the kids.
I called Nancy, and she drove right out.
I thought driving was against the rules.
No, she would've taken the train.
Her sister said she took the car.
And that wasn't the only one of your rules that she was breaking.
These weren't my rules.
Nancy was with me on this.
Did you know she'd been ducking into the bathroom at the Bronte Hotel bar? No, I didn't know that.
Sometimes she'd get a drink.
Sometimes with a male friend.
Is that what you're thinking? No, she wouldn't do that.
We'd like to take a look at your car.
If your wife was driving to her sister's, maybe she was driving other places you didn't know about.
The keys are right here.
Just Is there a problem? Yeah, it should be a green Corolla.
You know how long it's been gone? No, we don't keep track.
Renters come and go as they please.
All right, thanks.
You have any ideas, Mr.
Hartwig? No.
We'll send out an alarm.
Oh, you won't have to, it has a tracking system.
Uh, Cartrack.
I'll make the call.
Electronic tracking? That's pretty high-tech for a couple living off the land.
It was a gift from Mr.
Hartwig's father.
He renews it every year for Christmas.
Thoughtful.
Bernard.
Where? You sure it's our car? Okay, we'll be right out.
They found the car in Jersey.
Ditched in the woods, with half a kilo of cocaine on the front seat, and a dead body.
Wow.
I guess saving the Earth is more interesting than I thought.
Hell of a party.
Back in the car.
Come on, move it along.
This is New Jersey.
Hang on, you the guys I talked to? Yeah, we're the ones that told you how to find that car.
What's going on? Cop-killing.
Come on.
This guy's a cop? No, he killed one Saturday afternoon.
Routine traffic stop went sideways.
I take it the cop killed him back.
Yeah, driver took off with his friend bleeding out in the passenger seat.
Ditched the car here.
We're looking for the driver.
What's this to you anyway? The woman who owns this car was killed the next day.
That's a hell of a coincidence.
Not too likely.
Smells like the same case.
Okay.
I'll show you mine, you show me yours.
That's Officer Dale McCloskey.
Thirty-four years old.
Wife and three children.
- License and registration.
- What'd I do, Officer? License and registration.
I'm going to need both Look, you see something right there.
Stop! Dude, are you crazy? Step out of the car.
No! Oh, my God! We never see the driver's face.
You think maybe this is your dead woman's husband? It didn't sound like him.
Well, the driver ditched the car three miles away.
Wiped the prints off the steering wheel and the door handles.
We found some kid's prints in the back seat.
The Hartwigs' have a six-year-old son.
Who's the dead guy? Local coke dealer and all-around prick.
Wayne Jankins.
What have you got? Pot, coke, skin mags, video games.
Welcome to paradise.
Hey, you mind? Yeah, don't steal anything.
You got a client list, calendar, little black book, anything that ties this guy to Manhattan? No, we got a computer.
Our tech guys are checking that out.
Uh-huh.
Hey, Lupes.
Yeah? Burns Fisher, the investment bank, right? Yeah, went belly up during that whole mortgage mess.
Bankers have suits.
There're no suits here.
Ah, maybe he played on the softball team.
Oh, yeah, he used to play third base.
Get this to Legal.
That's paper that was once worth 100 million dollars.
And now, it's just evidence for lawsuits.
You were the team captain, Mr.
Dooley? Yeah.
And now I'm on a two-week pay package to close down the office.
Does the police department need a specialist to mortgage back securities? We'll let you know.
What did Jankins do here? Nothing.
He was a ringer.
Oh, he had some arm on him.
How did you find him? Oh, some of the bond traders knew him.
Oh, from being their coke dealer.
Hey, were you a customer? No.
I Maybe.
Once in a while.
What does it matter? Can't afford the stuff now.
Any of the old gang keep in touch with Jankins? Are you guys narcs? Is this guy Jankins some sort of big target for you? He's dead.
There've been two murders.
So you might want to tell us what you know.
Guy named Mason, Institutional Sales, called me last week, asked if I wanted to buy some coke.
Said he was going in on a deal with Jankins to sell some grams, you know? Get a little pocket money.
Mason.
What's his first name? Chris.
Why? Chris Mason charged two martinis at the Bronte Hotel bar.
Thanks.
Wayne Jankins and Nancy Hartwig, you're the link, Mason.
What, Jankins, is he the, uh, the guy who played on our softball team? No, no, that'd be the guy that you tried to buy coke from last Saturday.
Oh, no, no, no.
I haven't seen him in like six months.
See, that's not what Jim Dooley says.
Ah, well, Jim Dooley is, uh, mad at me 'cause I helped his department lose three billion dollars.
Billion! We had kind of a bad year.
It was in the papers.
So where were you Saturday afternoon at 3:00? Here.
Studying for my math qualification.
I substitute teach.
So you were not driving a car you borrowed from Nancy Hartwig? I'm sorry, never heard of her.
Okay, so if we told you we had a bartender from the Bronte Hotel who said he saw you with her Oh, wait, Nancy? I'm sorry, that must be her married name.
Was it Hart - Wig.
- So you did know her? Yes, actually, from college.
I ran into her at the Bronte a couple of months ago.
The bartender says that you ran into her more than once.
You know, we'd just talk, you know.
She was a She was a friendly ear.
Hmm.
I just got divorced and I lost my job That your ex? Yeah.
The guy had everything.
An apartment on Central Park.
A beautiful family.
He drove a Maserati.
Now he lives in a place the size of the Maserati's glove box.
Got it.
Thanks.
His ex-wife has custody of the kids, moved upstate.
But he does have visitation rights.
Upstate where? Nyack.
New Jersey would be on his way.
How did he get there? He sold the Maserati.
Yup, and charge records show that he used to rent a car every Saturday.
Used to? He stopped three weeks ago.
Well, maybe an old acquaintance heard his sad story and decided to lend him her green Corolla she wasn't using.
Chris came up Saturday like he always does.
Took the girls to play miniature golf.
Had them home by 1:00.
Did you see what kind of car he was driving? No, usually it's an Avis.
Maybe you caught a color? I was in the kitchen, I didn't come outside.
It's hard for me to see him.
Hey, girls! Do you remember what kind of car your dad was driving when you saw him last? It was green.
And you and your sister, you both rode in the back seat, right? That's the law.
Jill, take Maddy inside.
What's this about? Did your husband ever mention Nancy Hartwig or Wayne Jankins? No.
Who are they? They both were killed.
And you think Chris was involved? Mrs.
Mason, we'd like your permission to take your daughters' fingerprints.
No.
My children? This doesn't make any No.
All right, well, he was here Saturday.
The same day as the shootout at the OK Corolla.
He had his daughters home by 1:00.
Bergen County is on his way home.
Yeah, it'd be nice to have those prints, too bad.
Hey.
It's a crying shame.
So, you gentlemen want a search warrant? Yes, for the apartment of Chris Mason, who is a suspect in the murder of Nancy Hartwig.
The fingerprints of his children were found in the back seat of the dead woman's car.
He took his children along to a murder? No, but it does establish a connection between him and the victim.
We think she lent him her car to visit his children.
Then he went to meet a drug dealer, who ended up shooting a police officer.
The car was left behind.
Mr.
Mason knew that only Mrs.
Hartwig could connect him to it.
Wow.
What a story, isn't it, Carly? Yes, Judge.
Their affidavit seems to establish probable cause.
Wait a minute! Nancy Hartwig.
Wasn't that the woman who was killed with the shovel? I read about that.
Yes, that would be the one, Your Honor.
Here, go and search.
Thank you.
Thank you very much, sir.
Hey, look, I'm supposed to be teaching in 20 minutes.
How long is this going to take? As long as it takes.
Bernard.
Something in the tread here.
Ah, I thought I smelled something.
Compost.
Better call the school, Mason, tell them they're going to need a sub.
I am the sub.
Let's go.
Not today.
Our extradition request is on the way.
I don't know, Mr.
Murdoch, New Jersey may have to stand in line for this one.
Chris Mason was involved in a cop-killing in Bergen County.
I don't know how you feel about that kind of thing in New York City.
How do you think we feel about it? He murdered a woman with a shovel here, we're not too crazy about that either.
We've got him on videotape.
You've got a man's shape on videotape.
We have a witness who saw him with the murdered woman and a tomato seed on his shoe that matches a rare variety grown at the scene of the crime.
And your motive is that he killed her so she wouldn't link him to the car in New Jersey.
It's all about the murder of our officer.
Except Mason didn't shoot your officer.
Well, so he's guilty of felony murder.
The shooting occurred while he was committing another crime.
New Jersey statute only makes it felony murder if it occurred during a robbery, sexual assault, arson, burglary or kidnapping.
A drug deal doesn't qualify.
We get him in front of a jury of concerned citizens, they might feel different.
Or you planning to try him or lynch him? There's also the small matter of him saying on your videotape, "No, stop.
" We've got him dead to rights.
I think we'll keep him.
Okay.
But our extradition request stays in the active pile, so, what you just said about our case, you might not want to mention to Mason's lawyer.
I wouldn't dream of it.
New Jersey's got you dead to rights, Mason.
Felony murder of a police officer.
They'll bring back capital punishment just for you.
Talk to me, Cutter.
You know as well as I do, Jersey's got him on leaving the scene and maybe a drug charge.
Are you sure? Yes, Mr.
Mason, I'm sure.
What're you offering? He confesses to killing Nancy Hartwig, he does 20-to-life in New York.
- Pass.
- We've got the motive.
The bartender, the drug connection, the kids' prints in the car, the tomato seed on his shoe.
You got a time-stamp on that tomato seed, sweetie? Who's to say he didn't stop by the garden a few weeks ago to say hi to his friend Nancy and pick up some green beans.
Is that your story, Mr.
Mason? His story is, not guilty.
Well, I guess she read the New Jersey felony murder statute, too.
Estelle Adams has been a public defender since you were in pre-school.
It's our bad luck Mason didn't draw one of the morons.
Can anybody read around here? Well, I believe that's a requirement for graduating from law school.
The lights.
Maintenance is changing the light bulbs to save energy.
I think the ones in my office are three watts.
You don't want to save the polar bears? I'm going to need to save the seeing-eye dogs.
Mike, hey! Hey! My judge grabbed your case.
He likes a juicy story.
Great! Connie, Jack McCoy.
Carly is Judge Reynolds' law clerk.
Brilliant man.
Haven't seen much of him lately.
Yes, it's a privilege to work for him.
So, there's some scheduling issues we should discuss? Sure.
Scheduling issues.
It's simple, Your Honor.
Hey, if it was simple, you wouldn't need a judge, would you.
No, Your Honor.
The defense moves to preclude any mention of the shooting in New Jersey, with which my client was allegedly involved.
It's never been proven and will severely prejudice the jury.
It will also inform the jury.
We contend Mr.
Mason murdered Mrs.
Hartwig to prevent her from linking him to the New Jersey crime.
It would be horribly ironic if we allowed him to accomplish that by killing her.
If he killed her.
Prove it.
That's what this trial is supposed to be about.
Not something that happened in another state.
The standard is whether or not the probative value of the alleged crime has greater weight than the other alleged crime.
Here's the research you requested, Your Honor.
As you can see, The People v.
Alicea seems to govern.
But the facts there were different.
It involved co-defendants.
It allowed evidence of other crimes so the jury could understand why the charged crime occurred just as in this case.
This one is simple, Miss Adams.
Your motion is denied.
Oh, well.
Can't blame a girl for trying.
What? So, you and the judge's clerk, you two are Friends.
Friends? So we don't have the conflict of interest problem, do we? No.
And we don't have a jealousy problem, do we? I was in pre-school when you started to work here.
Remember? That was Estelle Adams, not me.
Did your wife ever tell you that she lent your car to Mr.
Mason? No, but she wouldn't.
We were supposed to live by certain rules.
Uh, no driving.
Would you be surprised to learn that she did a favor for an old acquaintance who had fallen on hard times? Objection.
All these questions assume facts not in evidence.
It's a hypothetical.
Mr.
Hartwig can certainly tell us how his wife would behave in a given situation.
Overruled.
If he said he was broke and he needed the car to visit his children, sure.
She'd lend it to him.
Thank you.
What would upset you, Mr.
Hartwig? Objection.
Can we be a little more specific? Sustained.
We've heard testimony that your wife had drinks with Mr.
Mason on several occasions in a hotel bar.
She went there to use the bathroom.
But she didn't tell you she was sneaking out for toilet paper, did she? No.
Because that was against the rules.
Yes.
Isn't it possible that your wife didn't tell you about meeting Mr.
Mason because she was breaking another kind of rule? I don't believe that.
No.
Well, let me ask you a hypothetical.
If you knew your wife was seeing another man, how jealous would you have been? I would've been jealous, but I didn't know.
But you didn't have a hint, when she was sneaking out at odd hours? I never noticed.
Do you honestly expect us to believe Objection.
Asked and answered.
Sustained.
The defendant's daughter told us that he was driving a green car on the day of the shooting.
And did you find anything else to connect the defendant with that car? Objection.
May we approach? I can hear you from there.
I don't want the jury to hear, Your Honor.
Very well, then.
The prosecution is going to link my client to the Hartwigs' car by his children's fingerprints in the back seat.
It's relevant, what's the problem? The problem is how Detective Bernard got the fingerprints to make the match.
He stole a ball the children were playing with.
It was lying in the street.
It wasn't abandoned.
They're children, they would've come back for it.
Even if taking the ball was improper, we're not using the evidence against the children.
The defendant has no standing to challenge the taking of someone else's property.
That would seem to be I don't like it.
Stealing a child's toy.
The evidence is excluded.
Mike.
Sorry, that was weird.
Yeah, the law is pretty damn clear.
He acted in haste without considering the precedents, but I can fix it.
Fix it? He'll reconsider.
Everything's under control.
I'll talk to you later.
What's under control? Everything, apparently.
I acted in haste yesterday, without considering the precedents.
I'm reversing my ruling on the motion to exclude the children's fingerprints.
Your Honor It's the law.
It was simply a misunderstanding.
Is there anything else, Miss Adams? No.
Very well, then.
If you'll excuse me.
Carly, what's going on here? Judge Reynolds made an incorrect ruling.
He corrected himself.
Using the exact same words you used yesterday.
"I acted in haste.
" I mean, who's making the decisions here? I'm his law clerk.
I'm supposed to help him research the law.
And your helping him has nothing to do with the fact that you and I have Are you saying that I'm throwing the case for you? You said some things that are open to that inference, yes.
And I think we should be very clear.
Okay, um, how's this for clarity? I like you, the judge made a wrong ruling and he fixed it.
Those two facts are not connected.
Excuse me.
Oh! You're still here.
Uh, just leaving, Your Honor.
Oh, that's too bad, I was going to charge you rent.
Stay behind to hash things out with your friend? I don't think that's what this is about.
What have you noticed about Judge Reynolds during this trial? He always rules our way.
Have you noticed that he looks at his computer before every ruling? That he relies heavily on his clerk? A lot of judges do.
Who, for all we know, is sending him instant messages telling him how to rule.
I found this on his desk.
"I acted in haste yesterday without considering the precedents.
"I'm reversing my ruling on the motion to exclude the children's fingerprints.
" He had a script? And a seating chart.
All our names, and the seats we were sitting in, where Carly put us.
A memory aid.
And then some.
I want to talk to the judge without Carly.
What are you doing for lunch? Well, I wish I wouldn't have skipped that course in law school.
You know, the one about spying on judges? You're doing great.
There she goes.
Look, lock her in a stall if you have to.
Your Honor? Mister You're one of the attorneys.
I am.
I, uh, just wanted to thank you for your ruling this morning.
That's my job, isn't it? Well, I was just wondering which precedent you found most persuasive? Wasn't that in my ruling? Well, your ruling was oral.
Then I'll have to check my notes.
I have very thorough notes.
Oh, that looks good.
Did you order that? Well, actually, I'm not sitting here.
Oh.
Who is? He couldn't remember my name, or the name of the defendant or what he was charged with.
You know that memory aid he used? My Uncle Charlie, he used to walk around with notes like that when he came down with senile dementia.
Judge Reynolds is over 70.
He has to apply for re-certification every year.
Somebody thinks he's competent.
That's rubber stamped.
You know it as well as I do.
Come on, Jack.
Before he was a judge, Malcolm Reynolds was the best defense lawyer in town.
I once heard him convince a jury that a double-murderer couldn't have formed the requisite intent because he was distracted by a swarm of bees.
His mind is going, Jack.
He shouldn't be on the bench.
Is your defendant guilty? Yes.
Are you winning your case? Yes.
You know, some prosecutors wouldn't see a problem there.
Light.
Hey, Mike.
What's going on? Carly.
I heard you had a little chat with my judge at lunch.
Your judge? I hope you weren't discussing the case, that would be against the rules.
He should withdraw from the case, Carly.
He should retire.
You know that.
He's doing a fine job.
No, no.
You're doing the job.
You're the one who should be sitting on the bench.
Well, that's very flattering, but that's not how it is.
Look, why are you protecting him? He can retire quietly, with honor, respect, a decent pension.
What about my pension, Mike? What? You know my circumstances.
I graduated in the middle of my class from a second-rate law school.
I need this job.
So for you, we pervert the court.
What is your problem, Mike? Every decision in this trial has gone your way, and it's been legally correct.
I know what I'm doing.
Well, I'm not letting this go, Carly.
We'll have to take it to another judge.
You do that, Mike, and Judge Reynolds won't be the one who suffers.
Who's next? Your Honor, I'm seeking Excuse me.
Uh, Judge, I've been waiting with an emergency petition.
Well, I'm not sure that I see, uh I spoke to your clerk two hours ago.
Well, there are emergencies and there are emergencies.
I see this has to do with the alleged unfitness of one of my colleagues, who shall remain nameless in this forum.
All I see in support of your application is your own affidavit.
That should be sufficient to warrant a medical examination.
The proper procedure would be to forward this to the commission on judicial conduct.
Which would take months.
This judge is serving.
Serving well, as far as I've heard from anyone else.
Although I must say, off the record, I have heard reports of your conduct in this matter.
May I approach? No need.
This kind of thing can get very ugly, Mr.
Cutter.
You might want to rethink what you're doing here.
It's all over Foley Square, that you colluded with your clerk girlfriend to take advantage of Judge Reynolds.
What? Why would Carly tell that story? That makes her guilty, too.
Because she figures you'll drop the matter because you don't want to be hauled up on ethics charges and possibly disbarred.
What exactly did Judge Brannigan say? He blackmailed me in open court.
They protect each other.
Any judge knows he might be the next one to drop a stitch.
What, so what do they want? To be hailed and saluted every day of their lives until they die on the bench? Yes.
Well, look, this story about me doesn't even make sense.
If I wanted him to throw the case, I wouldn't try to get him removed.
Tell it to the judge.
Judge Reynolds? Mister Cutter.
I have the Mason trial before you.
Oh, yes.
What are you doing here? Well, I'm not sure if you've heard, sir, but I've been trying to get you removed from the bench.
Why? Because I think your mind is not as sharp as it used to be.
And, with all due respect, I think it's time for you to retire.
Mister Cutter.
Have I done you any harm? Me personally? No.
Good.
I like to think that I'm fair.
It's not personal, Judge.
The fair thing, for everybody, is for you to step down.
And do what? Whatever you want.
I don't collect stamps.
My wife is dead.
My only child is an alcoholic in Las Vegas.
I am doing what it is I want to do.
Time to go to work, Your Honor.
Thank you.
Will I see you in court? Okay, so now you've pissed off the clerk and the judge.
I wonder which way his rulings are going to go today? And what was I supposed to do, leave it alone? And convict a murderer? I could think of a worse outcome.
Well, you're not the one this woman is threatening with disbarment.
Yeah, but is this about justice or your male pride? It's about doing the right thing.
Look, Mason is guilty, but the next defendant whose name this judge can't remember, might be innocent.
Ready for another day in court, kids? I wonder how the judge is going to be ruling today? Well, he's not going to be in the jury room, Estelle.
I'm still winning the trial.
But you've given me a lovely appeal issue.
And who are you going to be appealing to? The same judges who are protecting Reynolds now? Well, that's a point.
Estelle, we've got to set this right.
After the firm went bust, Chris called me.
He was desperate, you know, he'd lost his apartment, his family, his whole life.
And what did he say, Mr.
Dooley? He offered to sell me cocaine.
He said he'd gone into business with Wayne Jankins, who'd been dealing for some people in the firm.
I move to strike this witness' testimony.
Mr.
Dooley was not on the state's witness list.
I've had no time to prepare, no time to rebut.
We added the witness a week ago.
We filed a 283 with the court.
I never got a copy.
Overruled.
I'm entitled to an inquiry.
Was notice sent to me or not? I have no objection.
Overruled.
There's nothing to rule on, Your Honor.
The People consent to an inquiry.
Uh, your clerk can tell us whether notice was sent to the defense or not.
Uh, yes it was.
Can we do this right, please? On the record? Very well.
The jury will be excused temporarily, and my clerk will take the stand.
Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God? Yes.
See, here's the receipt for defense's copy of the state's witness list.
Dated last Tuesday, signed by Objection.
The witness has failed to lay a proper foundation.
What? Your Honor, how do you rule? Your Honor? The objection doesn't make any sense.
Please, we're waiting for the judge to rule.
There's nothing on the screen, Your Honor.
She's here on the stand.
She can't send you a message.
You are out of order.
You're a witness, you don't decide what's out of order.
Your Honor, Mr.
Cutter is out of order.
That's the way it works, right? You tell him what to do.
Judge, why are you looking at the screen? He's the one who's been telling the lies about me, isn't he? He's in contempt.
Judge, tell him he's in contempt.
You're in contempt.
I'm sorry, Your Honor, I really am.
Now what do I do? Thank you.
Judge Reynolds is taking a medical leave.
His clerk's been fired, and she's being investigated by the attorney general.
All he had to do was retire when the time came.
The defense is going to ask for a new trial, and they'll probably get one.
Well, we will win in this one.
We'll win that one, too.
Now we have to try every case twice? I'm not paying him double.
Judge Reynolds? Jack.
I'm leaving, you know.
Yes, I heard.
They tell me I'm sick.
I'm not really sick, just having a last look around.
Adam Schiff used to sit in that chair.
That's right.
He had a little refrigerator right there by it, where he kept his tuna fish sandwiches because he had to work late.
I used to come in sometimes, have a tuna fish sandwich.
His wife put sliced olives on them.
Just the thing! How long have you worked here Jack.
Well Good luck, then.
These are their stories.
Stomp on this.
Hey, how's it going? Hey! Good.
Dad says this is how they make wine.
Out of dirty laundry? Okay, I'm heading out.
Farmer's Market, bulk store, garden.
I left the empty bottles for you on the counter.
Am I forgetting anything? No, you're a trooper.
Uh Do you need us to step out for a minute? No, that's okay.
You guys should get a move on.
The birthday party's at 3:00.
Bye, kiddo.
Have fun, okay? Bye, Mommy.
What do you think? The victim's name is Nancy Hartwig.
She and her husband have a garden here.
That's the community compost.
Yeah, I thought I smelled something.
Yeah.
Woman who found her has a garden here, too.
Heard the victim arguing with someone around 3:30.
Couldn't say about what, just that it was a man's voice.
Cash and credit cards are still here.
There's a blunt force to the head.
There's a shovel here, with blood on the blade.
Where's CSU? We're going to need to run this thing for prints.
We might have more than we need.
They share their tools.
Our killer may not be a gardener anyway.
First rule of composting, no meat.
Oh.
Nancy Um, my son's going to be home any minute.
Maybe you'd be more comfortable in your apartment? Uh Hey, something wrong with the elevator? We don't use it.
What floor do you live on? Nine.
I'll see you up there.
Very sorry to hear about your loss, Mr.
Hartwig.
When was the last time that you saw your wife? She left around 1:00, to do some errands and go to the garden.
And I took Zach to a birthday party.
Mind if I turn on a light? We shut the power off.
Computer's working.
Yeah, we run that off a solar panel.
And you don't use electricity or the elevator, you grow your own food.
Well, we're trying to live without leaving a carbon footprint.
I started a blog.
Just got a book contract.
Carbon footprint.
How did she die? Uh, we think it was a blunt force to the head.
God Um, I need to call her sister.
That's fine.
The victim was a freelance designer, she worked from her home.
Witnesses put her at the Union Square Farmer's Market around 2:00.
She bought lentils and kidney beans alone.
An hour later she's dead.
The M.
E.
's report confirms a shovel to the head.
Thirteen different sets of prints on the handle.
Did you guys see the husband's blog, at zeroenergyfootprint.
com? They don't eat anything that wasn't raised within 100 miles of their building.
They took their cell phones, put them in a drawer.
Their car in a long-term lot.
Stopped using the elevator.
No paper, no plastic, which means no take-out.
No magazines, no paper towels.
No toilet paper? Left hand and a bowl of water.
Half the world still does it that way.
That's nasty.
You know, no wonder she was drinking.
Her blood alcohol was.
04.
Lady stopped for a cocktail? Martinis apparently.
Her stomach contents included green olives.
Well, then she broke one of the rules.
Not too many olive trees within 100 miles of their apartment.
Check out the bars around Union Square.
See if she was breaking any other rules.
Hey, so when you were overseas, doing intel in the boonies Left hand and a bowl of water.
That's nasty.
Yeah, she was in.
Comes in quite often.
Has a martini, sometimes just a water.
She's not much of a drinker.
Mmm-hmm.
Did she ever use the bathroom? I guess.
Your bathroom have toilet paper? Yeah, don't they all? You'd be surprised.
Yeah, was she always alone? Usually.
Couple times she met up with a guy.
She did.
Uh, when was the last time? I don't know, uh, last week.
We're pretty busy in here.
You know his name? No.
You remember if he used a credit card? Maybe.
You know, I can get you a print-out with a couple hundred names on it if you want.
We want.
Okay.
So, she comes in to use some toilet paper, ends up eating an olive, and meets a guy.
It's a slippery slope.
If she was having an affair who'd she tell? No way.
If she was cheating on Joe, she would've told me.
We're sisters, we talked about everything.
Mmm-hmm, did she tell you about a man that she met at the Bronte Hotel bar? No.
I'm sure he was just a friend.
It seems like her husband was driving this whole zero footprint thing.
I mean, that had to be a strain on the relationship.
Nancy had doubts.
She wasn't sure that walking up all those stairs was going to stop global warming.
When was the last time you saw your sister? Uh, a couple of weeks ago.
I had a minor medical emergency.
I needed someone to watch the kids.
I called Nancy, and she drove right out.
I thought driving was against the rules.
No, she would've taken the train.
Her sister said she took the car.
And that wasn't the only one of your rules that she was breaking.
These weren't my rules.
Nancy was with me on this.
Did you know she'd been ducking into the bathroom at the Bronte Hotel bar? No, I didn't know that.
Sometimes she'd get a drink.
Sometimes with a male friend.
Is that what you're thinking? No, she wouldn't do that.
We'd like to take a look at your car.
If your wife was driving to her sister's, maybe she was driving other places you didn't know about.
The keys are right here.
Just Is there a problem? Yeah, it should be a green Corolla.
You know how long it's been gone? No, we don't keep track.
Renters come and go as they please.
All right, thanks.
You have any ideas, Mr.
Hartwig? No.
We'll send out an alarm.
Oh, you won't have to, it has a tracking system.
Uh, Cartrack.
I'll make the call.
Electronic tracking? That's pretty high-tech for a couple living off the land.
It was a gift from Mr.
Hartwig's father.
He renews it every year for Christmas.
Thoughtful.
Bernard.
Where? You sure it's our car? Okay, we'll be right out.
They found the car in Jersey.
Ditched in the woods, with half a kilo of cocaine on the front seat, and a dead body.
Wow.
I guess saving the Earth is more interesting than I thought.
Hell of a party.
Back in the car.
Come on, move it along.
This is New Jersey.
Hang on, you the guys I talked to? Yeah, we're the ones that told you how to find that car.
What's going on? Cop-killing.
Come on.
This guy's a cop? No, he killed one Saturday afternoon.
Routine traffic stop went sideways.
I take it the cop killed him back.
Yeah, driver took off with his friend bleeding out in the passenger seat.
Ditched the car here.
We're looking for the driver.
What's this to you anyway? The woman who owns this car was killed the next day.
That's a hell of a coincidence.
Not too likely.
Smells like the same case.
Okay.
I'll show you mine, you show me yours.
That's Officer Dale McCloskey.
Thirty-four years old.
Wife and three children.
- License and registration.
- What'd I do, Officer? License and registration.
I'm going to need both Look, you see something right there.
Stop! Dude, are you crazy? Step out of the car.
No! Oh, my God! We never see the driver's face.
You think maybe this is your dead woman's husband? It didn't sound like him.
Well, the driver ditched the car three miles away.
Wiped the prints off the steering wheel and the door handles.
We found some kid's prints in the back seat.
The Hartwigs' have a six-year-old son.
Who's the dead guy? Local coke dealer and all-around prick.
Wayne Jankins.
What have you got? Pot, coke, skin mags, video games.
Welcome to paradise.
Hey, you mind? Yeah, don't steal anything.
You got a client list, calendar, little black book, anything that ties this guy to Manhattan? No, we got a computer.
Our tech guys are checking that out.
Uh-huh.
Hey, Lupes.
Yeah? Burns Fisher, the investment bank, right? Yeah, went belly up during that whole mortgage mess.
Bankers have suits.
There're no suits here.
Ah, maybe he played on the softball team.
Oh, yeah, he used to play third base.
Get this to Legal.
That's paper that was once worth 100 million dollars.
And now, it's just evidence for lawsuits.
You were the team captain, Mr.
Dooley? Yeah.
And now I'm on a two-week pay package to close down the office.
Does the police department need a specialist to mortgage back securities? We'll let you know.
What did Jankins do here? Nothing.
He was a ringer.
Oh, he had some arm on him.
How did you find him? Oh, some of the bond traders knew him.
Oh, from being their coke dealer.
Hey, were you a customer? No.
I Maybe.
Once in a while.
What does it matter? Can't afford the stuff now.
Any of the old gang keep in touch with Jankins? Are you guys narcs? Is this guy Jankins some sort of big target for you? He's dead.
There've been two murders.
So you might want to tell us what you know.
Guy named Mason, Institutional Sales, called me last week, asked if I wanted to buy some coke.
Said he was going in on a deal with Jankins to sell some grams, you know? Get a little pocket money.
Mason.
What's his first name? Chris.
Why? Chris Mason charged two martinis at the Bronte Hotel bar.
Thanks.
Wayne Jankins and Nancy Hartwig, you're the link, Mason.
What, Jankins, is he the, uh, the guy who played on our softball team? No, no, that'd be the guy that you tried to buy coke from last Saturday.
Oh, no, no, no.
I haven't seen him in like six months.
See, that's not what Jim Dooley says.
Ah, well, Jim Dooley is, uh, mad at me 'cause I helped his department lose three billion dollars.
Billion! We had kind of a bad year.
It was in the papers.
So where were you Saturday afternoon at 3:00? Here.
Studying for my math qualification.
I substitute teach.
So you were not driving a car you borrowed from Nancy Hartwig? I'm sorry, never heard of her.
Okay, so if we told you we had a bartender from the Bronte Hotel who said he saw you with her Oh, wait, Nancy? I'm sorry, that must be her married name.
Was it Hart - Wig.
- So you did know her? Yes, actually, from college.
I ran into her at the Bronte a couple of months ago.
The bartender says that you ran into her more than once.
You know, we'd just talk, you know.
She was a She was a friendly ear.
Hmm.
I just got divorced and I lost my job That your ex? Yeah.
The guy had everything.
An apartment on Central Park.
A beautiful family.
He drove a Maserati.
Now he lives in a place the size of the Maserati's glove box.
Got it.
Thanks.
His ex-wife has custody of the kids, moved upstate.
But he does have visitation rights.
Upstate where? Nyack.
New Jersey would be on his way.
How did he get there? He sold the Maserati.
Yup, and charge records show that he used to rent a car every Saturday.
Used to? He stopped three weeks ago.
Well, maybe an old acquaintance heard his sad story and decided to lend him her green Corolla she wasn't using.
Chris came up Saturday like he always does.
Took the girls to play miniature golf.
Had them home by 1:00.
Did you see what kind of car he was driving? No, usually it's an Avis.
Maybe you caught a color? I was in the kitchen, I didn't come outside.
It's hard for me to see him.
Hey, girls! Do you remember what kind of car your dad was driving when you saw him last? It was green.
And you and your sister, you both rode in the back seat, right? That's the law.
Jill, take Maddy inside.
What's this about? Did your husband ever mention Nancy Hartwig or Wayne Jankins? No.
Who are they? They both were killed.
And you think Chris was involved? Mrs.
Mason, we'd like your permission to take your daughters' fingerprints.
No.
My children? This doesn't make any No.
All right, well, he was here Saturday.
The same day as the shootout at the OK Corolla.
He had his daughters home by 1:00.
Bergen County is on his way home.
Yeah, it'd be nice to have those prints, too bad.
Hey.
It's a crying shame.
So, you gentlemen want a search warrant? Yes, for the apartment of Chris Mason, who is a suspect in the murder of Nancy Hartwig.
The fingerprints of his children were found in the back seat of the dead woman's car.
He took his children along to a murder? No, but it does establish a connection between him and the victim.
We think she lent him her car to visit his children.
Then he went to meet a drug dealer, who ended up shooting a police officer.
The car was left behind.
Mr.
Mason knew that only Mrs.
Hartwig could connect him to it.
Wow.
What a story, isn't it, Carly? Yes, Judge.
Their affidavit seems to establish probable cause.
Wait a minute! Nancy Hartwig.
Wasn't that the woman who was killed with the shovel? I read about that.
Yes, that would be the one, Your Honor.
Here, go and search.
Thank you.
Thank you very much, sir.
Hey, look, I'm supposed to be teaching in 20 minutes.
How long is this going to take? As long as it takes.
Bernard.
Something in the tread here.
Ah, I thought I smelled something.
Compost.
Better call the school, Mason, tell them they're going to need a sub.
I am the sub.
Let's go.
Not today.
Our extradition request is on the way.
I don't know, Mr.
Murdoch, New Jersey may have to stand in line for this one.
Chris Mason was involved in a cop-killing in Bergen County.
I don't know how you feel about that kind of thing in New York City.
How do you think we feel about it? He murdered a woman with a shovel here, we're not too crazy about that either.
We've got him on videotape.
You've got a man's shape on videotape.
We have a witness who saw him with the murdered woman and a tomato seed on his shoe that matches a rare variety grown at the scene of the crime.
And your motive is that he killed her so she wouldn't link him to the car in New Jersey.
It's all about the murder of our officer.
Except Mason didn't shoot your officer.
Well, so he's guilty of felony murder.
The shooting occurred while he was committing another crime.
New Jersey statute only makes it felony murder if it occurred during a robbery, sexual assault, arson, burglary or kidnapping.
A drug deal doesn't qualify.
We get him in front of a jury of concerned citizens, they might feel different.
Or you planning to try him or lynch him? There's also the small matter of him saying on your videotape, "No, stop.
" We've got him dead to rights.
I think we'll keep him.
Okay.
But our extradition request stays in the active pile, so, what you just said about our case, you might not want to mention to Mason's lawyer.
I wouldn't dream of it.
New Jersey's got you dead to rights, Mason.
Felony murder of a police officer.
They'll bring back capital punishment just for you.
Talk to me, Cutter.
You know as well as I do, Jersey's got him on leaving the scene and maybe a drug charge.
Are you sure? Yes, Mr.
Mason, I'm sure.
What're you offering? He confesses to killing Nancy Hartwig, he does 20-to-life in New York.
- Pass.
- We've got the motive.
The bartender, the drug connection, the kids' prints in the car, the tomato seed on his shoe.
You got a time-stamp on that tomato seed, sweetie? Who's to say he didn't stop by the garden a few weeks ago to say hi to his friend Nancy and pick up some green beans.
Is that your story, Mr.
Mason? His story is, not guilty.
Well, I guess she read the New Jersey felony murder statute, too.
Estelle Adams has been a public defender since you were in pre-school.
It's our bad luck Mason didn't draw one of the morons.
Can anybody read around here? Well, I believe that's a requirement for graduating from law school.
The lights.
Maintenance is changing the light bulbs to save energy.
I think the ones in my office are three watts.
You don't want to save the polar bears? I'm going to need to save the seeing-eye dogs.
Mike, hey! Hey! My judge grabbed your case.
He likes a juicy story.
Great! Connie, Jack McCoy.
Carly is Judge Reynolds' law clerk.
Brilliant man.
Haven't seen much of him lately.
Yes, it's a privilege to work for him.
So, there's some scheduling issues we should discuss? Sure.
Scheduling issues.
It's simple, Your Honor.
Hey, if it was simple, you wouldn't need a judge, would you.
No, Your Honor.
The defense moves to preclude any mention of the shooting in New Jersey, with which my client was allegedly involved.
It's never been proven and will severely prejudice the jury.
It will also inform the jury.
We contend Mr.
Mason murdered Mrs.
Hartwig to prevent her from linking him to the New Jersey crime.
It would be horribly ironic if we allowed him to accomplish that by killing her.
If he killed her.
Prove it.
That's what this trial is supposed to be about.
Not something that happened in another state.
The standard is whether or not the probative value of the alleged crime has greater weight than the other alleged crime.
Here's the research you requested, Your Honor.
As you can see, The People v.
Alicea seems to govern.
But the facts there were different.
It involved co-defendants.
It allowed evidence of other crimes so the jury could understand why the charged crime occurred just as in this case.
This one is simple, Miss Adams.
Your motion is denied.
Oh, well.
Can't blame a girl for trying.
What? So, you and the judge's clerk, you two are Friends.
Friends? So we don't have the conflict of interest problem, do we? No.
And we don't have a jealousy problem, do we? I was in pre-school when you started to work here.
Remember? That was Estelle Adams, not me.
Did your wife ever tell you that she lent your car to Mr.
Mason? No, but she wouldn't.
We were supposed to live by certain rules.
Uh, no driving.
Would you be surprised to learn that she did a favor for an old acquaintance who had fallen on hard times? Objection.
All these questions assume facts not in evidence.
It's a hypothetical.
Mr.
Hartwig can certainly tell us how his wife would behave in a given situation.
Overruled.
If he said he was broke and he needed the car to visit his children, sure.
She'd lend it to him.
Thank you.
What would upset you, Mr.
Hartwig? Objection.
Can we be a little more specific? Sustained.
We've heard testimony that your wife had drinks with Mr.
Mason on several occasions in a hotel bar.
She went there to use the bathroom.
But she didn't tell you she was sneaking out for toilet paper, did she? No.
Because that was against the rules.
Yes.
Isn't it possible that your wife didn't tell you about meeting Mr.
Mason because she was breaking another kind of rule? I don't believe that.
No.
Well, let me ask you a hypothetical.
If you knew your wife was seeing another man, how jealous would you have been? I would've been jealous, but I didn't know.
But you didn't have a hint, when she was sneaking out at odd hours? I never noticed.
Do you honestly expect us to believe Objection.
Asked and answered.
Sustained.
The defendant's daughter told us that he was driving a green car on the day of the shooting.
And did you find anything else to connect the defendant with that car? Objection.
May we approach? I can hear you from there.
I don't want the jury to hear, Your Honor.
Very well, then.
The prosecution is going to link my client to the Hartwigs' car by his children's fingerprints in the back seat.
It's relevant, what's the problem? The problem is how Detective Bernard got the fingerprints to make the match.
He stole a ball the children were playing with.
It was lying in the street.
It wasn't abandoned.
They're children, they would've come back for it.
Even if taking the ball was improper, we're not using the evidence against the children.
The defendant has no standing to challenge the taking of someone else's property.
That would seem to be I don't like it.
Stealing a child's toy.
The evidence is excluded.
Mike.
Sorry, that was weird.
Yeah, the law is pretty damn clear.
He acted in haste without considering the precedents, but I can fix it.
Fix it? He'll reconsider.
Everything's under control.
I'll talk to you later.
What's under control? Everything, apparently.
I acted in haste yesterday, without considering the precedents.
I'm reversing my ruling on the motion to exclude the children's fingerprints.
Your Honor It's the law.
It was simply a misunderstanding.
Is there anything else, Miss Adams? No.
Very well, then.
If you'll excuse me.
Carly, what's going on here? Judge Reynolds made an incorrect ruling.
He corrected himself.
Using the exact same words you used yesterday.
"I acted in haste.
" I mean, who's making the decisions here? I'm his law clerk.
I'm supposed to help him research the law.
And your helping him has nothing to do with the fact that you and I have Are you saying that I'm throwing the case for you? You said some things that are open to that inference, yes.
And I think we should be very clear.
Okay, um, how's this for clarity? I like you, the judge made a wrong ruling and he fixed it.
Those two facts are not connected.
Excuse me.
Oh! You're still here.
Uh, just leaving, Your Honor.
Oh, that's too bad, I was going to charge you rent.
Stay behind to hash things out with your friend? I don't think that's what this is about.
What have you noticed about Judge Reynolds during this trial? He always rules our way.
Have you noticed that he looks at his computer before every ruling? That he relies heavily on his clerk? A lot of judges do.
Who, for all we know, is sending him instant messages telling him how to rule.
I found this on his desk.
"I acted in haste yesterday without considering the precedents.
"I'm reversing my ruling on the motion to exclude the children's fingerprints.
" He had a script? And a seating chart.
All our names, and the seats we were sitting in, where Carly put us.
A memory aid.
And then some.
I want to talk to the judge without Carly.
What are you doing for lunch? Well, I wish I wouldn't have skipped that course in law school.
You know, the one about spying on judges? You're doing great.
There she goes.
Look, lock her in a stall if you have to.
Your Honor? Mister You're one of the attorneys.
I am.
I, uh, just wanted to thank you for your ruling this morning.
That's my job, isn't it? Well, I was just wondering which precedent you found most persuasive? Wasn't that in my ruling? Well, your ruling was oral.
Then I'll have to check my notes.
I have very thorough notes.
Oh, that looks good.
Did you order that? Well, actually, I'm not sitting here.
Oh.
Who is? He couldn't remember my name, or the name of the defendant or what he was charged with.
You know that memory aid he used? My Uncle Charlie, he used to walk around with notes like that when he came down with senile dementia.
Judge Reynolds is over 70.
He has to apply for re-certification every year.
Somebody thinks he's competent.
That's rubber stamped.
You know it as well as I do.
Come on, Jack.
Before he was a judge, Malcolm Reynolds was the best defense lawyer in town.
I once heard him convince a jury that a double-murderer couldn't have formed the requisite intent because he was distracted by a swarm of bees.
His mind is going, Jack.
He shouldn't be on the bench.
Is your defendant guilty? Yes.
Are you winning your case? Yes.
You know, some prosecutors wouldn't see a problem there.
Light.
Hey, Mike.
What's going on? Carly.
I heard you had a little chat with my judge at lunch.
Your judge? I hope you weren't discussing the case, that would be against the rules.
He should withdraw from the case, Carly.
He should retire.
You know that.
He's doing a fine job.
No, no.
You're doing the job.
You're the one who should be sitting on the bench.
Well, that's very flattering, but that's not how it is.
Look, why are you protecting him? He can retire quietly, with honor, respect, a decent pension.
What about my pension, Mike? What? You know my circumstances.
I graduated in the middle of my class from a second-rate law school.
I need this job.
So for you, we pervert the court.
What is your problem, Mike? Every decision in this trial has gone your way, and it's been legally correct.
I know what I'm doing.
Well, I'm not letting this go, Carly.
We'll have to take it to another judge.
You do that, Mike, and Judge Reynolds won't be the one who suffers.
Who's next? Your Honor, I'm seeking Excuse me.
Uh, Judge, I've been waiting with an emergency petition.
Well, I'm not sure that I see, uh I spoke to your clerk two hours ago.
Well, there are emergencies and there are emergencies.
I see this has to do with the alleged unfitness of one of my colleagues, who shall remain nameless in this forum.
All I see in support of your application is your own affidavit.
That should be sufficient to warrant a medical examination.
The proper procedure would be to forward this to the commission on judicial conduct.
Which would take months.
This judge is serving.
Serving well, as far as I've heard from anyone else.
Although I must say, off the record, I have heard reports of your conduct in this matter.
May I approach? No need.
This kind of thing can get very ugly, Mr.
Cutter.
You might want to rethink what you're doing here.
It's all over Foley Square, that you colluded with your clerk girlfriend to take advantage of Judge Reynolds.
What? Why would Carly tell that story? That makes her guilty, too.
Because she figures you'll drop the matter because you don't want to be hauled up on ethics charges and possibly disbarred.
What exactly did Judge Brannigan say? He blackmailed me in open court.
They protect each other.
Any judge knows he might be the next one to drop a stitch.
What, so what do they want? To be hailed and saluted every day of their lives until they die on the bench? Yes.
Well, look, this story about me doesn't even make sense.
If I wanted him to throw the case, I wouldn't try to get him removed.
Tell it to the judge.
Judge Reynolds? Mister Cutter.
I have the Mason trial before you.
Oh, yes.
What are you doing here? Well, I'm not sure if you've heard, sir, but I've been trying to get you removed from the bench.
Why? Because I think your mind is not as sharp as it used to be.
And, with all due respect, I think it's time for you to retire.
Mister Cutter.
Have I done you any harm? Me personally? No.
Good.
I like to think that I'm fair.
It's not personal, Judge.
The fair thing, for everybody, is for you to step down.
And do what? Whatever you want.
I don't collect stamps.
My wife is dead.
My only child is an alcoholic in Las Vegas.
I am doing what it is I want to do.
Time to go to work, Your Honor.
Thank you.
Will I see you in court? Okay, so now you've pissed off the clerk and the judge.
I wonder which way his rulings are going to go today? And what was I supposed to do, leave it alone? And convict a murderer? I could think of a worse outcome.
Well, you're not the one this woman is threatening with disbarment.
Yeah, but is this about justice or your male pride? It's about doing the right thing.
Look, Mason is guilty, but the next defendant whose name this judge can't remember, might be innocent.
Ready for another day in court, kids? I wonder how the judge is going to be ruling today? Well, he's not going to be in the jury room, Estelle.
I'm still winning the trial.
But you've given me a lovely appeal issue.
And who are you going to be appealing to? The same judges who are protecting Reynolds now? Well, that's a point.
Estelle, we've got to set this right.
After the firm went bust, Chris called me.
He was desperate, you know, he'd lost his apartment, his family, his whole life.
And what did he say, Mr.
Dooley? He offered to sell me cocaine.
He said he'd gone into business with Wayne Jankins, who'd been dealing for some people in the firm.
I move to strike this witness' testimony.
Mr.
Dooley was not on the state's witness list.
I've had no time to prepare, no time to rebut.
We added the witness a week ago.
We filed a 283 with the court.
I never got a copy.
Overruled.
I'm entitled to an inquiry.
Was notice sent to me or not? I have no objection.
Overruled.
There's nothing to rule on, Your Honor.
The People consent to an inquiry.
Uh, your clerk can tell us whether notice was sent to the defense or not.
Uh, yes it was.
Can we do this right, please? On the record? Very well.
The jury will be excused temporarily, and my clerk will take the stand.
Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God? Yes.
See, here's the receipt for defense's copy of the state's witness list.
Dated last Tuesday, signed by Objection.
The witness has failed to lay a proper foundation.
What? Your Honor, how do you rule? Your Honor? The objection doesn't make any sense.
Please, we're waiting for the judge to rule.
There's nothing on the screen, Your Honor.
She's here on the stand.
She can't send you a message.
You are out of order.
You're a witness, you don't decide what's out of order.
Your Honor, Mr.
Cutter is out of order.
That's the way it works, right? You tell him what to do.
Judge, why are you looking at the screen? He's the one who's been telling the lies about me, isn't he? He's in contempt.
Judge, tell him he's in contempt.
You're in contempt.
I'm sorry, Your Honor, I really am.
Now what do I do? Thank you.
Judge Reynolds is taking a medical leave.
His clerk's been fired, and she's being investigated by the attorney general.
All he had to do was retire when the time came.
The defense is going to ask for a new trial, and they'll probably get one.
Well, we will win in this one.
We'll win that one, too.
Now we have to try every case twice? I'm not paying him double.
Judge Reynolds? Jack.
I'm leaving, you know.
Yes, I heard.
They tell me I'm sick.
I'm not really sick, just having a last look around.
Adam Schiff used to sit in that chair.
That's right.
He had a little refrigerator right there by it, where he kept his tuna fish sandwiches because he had to work late.
I used to come in sometimes, have a tuna fish sandwich.
His wife put sliced olives on them.
Just the thing! How long have you worked here Jack.
Well Good luck, then.