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Guide: The Court
Synopsis:
Academy
Award and Emmy-winner Sally Field plays newly confirmed Justice
Kathleen "Kate" Nolan, a pragmatic politician who was handpicked
by the President to serve in one of the most powerful yet inscrutable
American governmental institutions.
The series
also stars Pat Hingle (Stephen King’s "The Shining"), Diahann
Carroll ("Claudine"), Nicole DeHuff ("Meet the Parents"), Hill
Harper ("City of Angels"), Christina Hendricks ("ER"), Josh Radnor
("Not Another Teen Movie"), Miguel Sandoval ("Blow"), Chris Sarandon
("The Princess Bride") and Craig Bierko ("Sex and the City").
A former Governor
of Ohio, Nolan has also served as a prosecutor, trial judge and
mayor, and she brings her centrist views, which lean towards the
progressive, to a deeply divided Court. As she settles into the
job, Nolan becomes accustomed to wrangling with her colleagues
on the bench. Some, like ultraconservative Roberto Martinez (Sandoval),
seem willing to ally with Nolan on the issues.
Animated and
provocative, Martinez is the Court’s newest and youngest member,
and the memories of his bloody confirmation battle are still fresh.
Others, such as liberal justice Lucas Voorhees (Sarandon), who
attended Harvard Law School with Nolan, stand on the opposite
end of the political spectrum. Voorhees comes from an elite background
that is at odds with Nolan’s working-class upbringing. Angela
DeSett (Carroll), also a liberal, is a formidable figure as the
Court’s first female African-American Justice. And presiding over
these passionate, opinionated defenders of the Constitution is
Chief Justice Amos Townsend (Hingle), an irascible and commanding
presence.
As she navigates
between the liberal and conservative camps of her new colleagues,
Nolan must also create a rapport with the brilliant young law
clerks assigned to assist her. Eager to observe and learn as they
embark on their careers, they toil tirelessly in the back chambers.
Alexis Cameron
(DeHuff), a driven and brilliant Harvard graduate, falls squarely
into the liberal camp and chafes at the prospect of working for
Nolan. Christopher Bell (Harper), a formal and refined African-American
Annapolis graduate, tends to be more conservative. And wry overachiever
Dylan Hirsch (Radnor) ably argues both persuasions.
While Nolan
struggles within the halls of the Supreme Court, a young television
reporter, Harlan Brandt, works from outside. Dedicated to putting
a face on the work of the court, Brandt’s fast-paced, deadline-driven
world is often at cross-purposes with the sanctity of the institution
he covers.
The Cast:
Sally Field as Justice Audrey Karlin
Craig Bierko as Harlan Brandt
Christina Hendricks as Betsy Tyler
Pat Hingle as Chief Justice Amos Townsend
Miguel Sandoval as Justice Roberto Martinez
Chris Sarandon as Justice Lucas Voorhees
Diahann Carroll as Justice Angela DeSett
Nicole DeHuff as Alexis Cameron
Hill Harper as Christopher Bell
Josh Radnor as Dylan
Hirsch
Production
Info:
"The Court" is created and executive-produced by Carol Flint ("ER,"
"China Beach"). The series is produced by John Wells Productions
("The West Wing," "ER") and Warner Bros. Television.
Airdates:
Episodes:
1-1 Life Sentence--03/26/2002
Former Ohio Governor Kate Nolan is sworn in as the newest
member of an evenly divided Supreme Court. In addition to learning
the politics and protocol of her new responsibilities, she faces
the daunting challenge of filling the shoes of her predecessor,
a well-liked Justice who met a sudden and untimely death. Hot
on Nolan’s trail is Harlan Brandt, the ambitious reporter who
seeks to uncover any improprieties from her earlier political
life.
1-2 Due
Process--04/02/2002
Kate Nolan’s new life on the bench gets off to a shaky start when
she makes a decision on a controversial case, based on her clerk’s
recommendation -- one that proves to be misleading. And as she
tries to settle in to her new environment, she feels burdened
by the legacy of the recently deceased, well-liked judge who was
her predecessor. Meanwhile Harlan Brandt pursues a reluctant interview
subject (a man who’s lost his unborn child) and gains valuable
insight into his assistant Betsy’s tenacity.
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