Original subtitles

Yes. That's right. The whole court is in turmoil.

Couldn't have happened at a more inconvenient time.

No, Dan doesn't know.

That's why I'm calling you. I've got to get through to him right away.

- Just a moment. - Excuse me, Mr. Chief Justice.

- This is the file you asked for. - Oh, yeah.

Thank God I caught you, Christine. Have you any idea where he went?

What makes you think I'd know where he is? Dan?

Dan?

No, he's not here. I just walked through the door, C.J.

- Oh? Where have you been? - Europe, as usual.

Stanley left some instructions that involve Dan, and I've got to find him.

He surprised the hell out of me in Brussels. He sent me a postcard.

The only part I can make out is "Dear Christine".

At least I think that's "dear". You know what his handwriting is like.

And then there's something here about climbing a mountain.

Did he happen to mention which mountain?

See that peak straight ahead?

That's where we'll be tomorrow at this time.

Grab a couple of lungs full of this. Pity the poor bastards in the cities

who don't get to taste real air anymore.

Can we take a rest?

Another 30 minutes. I know a great place for lunch.

Just hold on. I'm looking for it.

- "D. Snow". Would that be it? - That's it.

Mr. Snow is a justice of the United States Supreme Court.

Do you have a number there?

I do. I do indeed.

Area code, 202-252-3271.

- Hello? Do you read? Over. - Yes, I read you.

Press the button to talk.

The little one on the top with your thumb. There.

Hello, hello. Come in, please. Come in, please.

Dan?

Hold on, Washington. I'm patching you through on another channel.

- Go ahead, Highport. - Do you hear me there? Hello?

- Dan Snow here. Is that you, C.J.? - We need you back here, Dan.

Couldn't hear that. Say it again, will you, C.J.?

Stanley Moorehead died this morning.

Are you still there, Dan?

I say, Stanley Moorehead died this morning.

- I'm still here. I heard you. - You gotta press to talk.

Heard you, C.J. Tell Alice I'm sorry.

Well, how fast can you get back here? You see, Stanley asked if you...

Hello? Hello?

Hello?

Hello? Hello, Jeff?

Up here, CB patches pick up a lot of DX noise.

- You want me to try to get him again? - No. We'll be getting down the hill.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.

Thou anointest my head with oil. My cup runneth over.

Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

I don't really know...

When Stanley left instructions that he wanted me to...

What do you call it? Say a few words. I was surprised.

Mr. Justice Moorehead and I disagreed on upon a lot of things in our lifetimes,

and I guess it's only natural that we'd keep right on disagreeing.

I know seven other men who could do this better,

but I'm not about to file a dissenting opinion.

Stanley Moorehead was a gentleman of honest mind.

You can't say that about many men in this city, in this century.

Stanley and I were like a pair of flying buttresses.

Leaning on opposite sides of a Gothic cathedral,

we helped keep the roof from caving in.

If we'd been on the same side all the time,

we might have pushed the building over.

Don't have to agree with a man in order to respect him.

Stanley and I had one argument over and over again.

I never won it. I never could win.

He used to ask me,

"What in God's name is the practical use of mountain climbing?"

One time I said to him,

"Well, on a mountaintop, maybe you're a little bit closer to God."

He laughed and said, "Dan, what the hell do you know about God?"

I do know this.

Mr. Justice Stanley Moorehead is not in a box about to be covered by earth.

He's at the top of a mountain, higher than I have ever climbed.

Fire!

Ready! Aim! Fire!

Ready! Aim! Fire!

Ready! Present arms.

We should've hired a limousine like the others.

Nonsense, the fresh air will do you good.

- Alice looked awful. - Know what burns me?

Today's Star brushed off Stanley's life

with 2 inches and printed two full pages of smart-ass speculation

- about his replacement. - Been a terrible ordeal for her.

I bet it's a surprise, somebody nobody thought of.

- She doesn't have many close friends. - It's always a surprise.

Especially to the guy who gets tapped.

Maybe I'll plan a dinner party for her after a week or so.

President gave me the nod, I was so surprised I couldn't talk.

I don't think I could stand one of those teas, with all those wives.

Could be anybody. Lot of good men around. Lot of lousy ones too.

If I were Alice, I'd go to Europe, the warm part.

- How was Europe? - Wet.

- How was your mountain? - High.

You have any idea who's gonna be appointed?

- To what? - The court.

I never try to second-guess a president.

Man moves into the White House,

you have no idea what happens to his mind.

I just hope he has an active membership card in the human race.

- Waldo. - Hey, Dan.

Feels like the first day of school, doesn't it?

- Hope I never graduate. - Don't know what we'd do without you.

Morning, Radabaugh. Anything happen?

All that's happened is on your desk, Mr. Justice Snow.

- Still got the same cold? - Sinus.

Who's that?

Mason Woods, sir.

May I come in, sir?

Of course. What the hell do you think you're here for?

Thank you, sir.

Don't knock. It's highly unlikely you'll ever catch me

on the couch with Miss Radabaugh.

Yes, sir.

Well, we got one complaint about you. You're too goddamn polite.

And stop being scared of me, Mason. You got the job.

Yes, sir. Would you care for some tea, Mr. Justice, or a Scotch?

Maybe I'd better have both. No, I don't wanna overdo it. Forget the tea.

Yes, sir.

Now, this supports your position on Abbott v. Omnitech.

Forget Omnitech.

But it's at the top of the order list.

- It's gonna get struck. - Why?

My brave brethren on the court are too chicken-hearted to hear it.

That's why. When I'm getting ripped off, Mason,

I want to know who's doing the ripping. How much can these multinational

monsters get away with? I don't know. Neither do you,

because they hide behind all those TV commercials,

saying how goddamn holy they are.

Even the C.J. Is scared to hear Omnitech.

He says, "It's like telling God you wanna examine the books."

Peace, up to a point.

Mason, the most dangerous thing in the world is to be cautious.

People who fall down are the ones who are afraid they'll trip.

- Take a chance. - Yes, sir.

And don't always agree. If you think I'm wrong and don't say so,

then what the hell good are you? I like law clerks who argue with me.

Yes, sir. No, sir.

I mean, I'll try to do that, sir. Not to do that, sir.

- What's this? - Collins v. California, the kinky one

from the 9th Circuit, the Berkeley student who wore a T-shirt that said

"Fuck the White House".

- Did he have his pants off? - It doesn't say.

I don't see any clear and present danger that he intended

to implement the opinion of his T-shirt.

The 9th Circuit held it was offensive to public sensibility.

Just being offensive is not an offense.

One man's pornography may be another man's poetry.

Yes, sir.

Yes, yes, yes. Lady Purity, speaking from the cloisters of California.

"Free speech is not, ipso facto, filthy speech.

"Dirt is a splendid environment for earthworms,

"but it is a grave for the human mind."

I wish to hell she didn't write so goddamn well.

You see, Mason, that's what this court is for,

to restrain the Ruth Loomises of the world.

Sir, I found this opinion on surveillance,

but you won't have to read it.

- Why not? - You wrote it.

Well, read it to me. I might have forgotten it or changed my mind.

"When God created the world,

"he did it alone, in private, all by himself.

"No monitors, no hidden microphones.

"He made it how he wanted, but what if someone invaded God's privacy?

"Would he have put the world together the same way? I doubt it.

"He would've made it a popular world, and the Garden of Eden

"would have turned out like Las Vegas or 42nd Street."

- Would you like to take any calls, sir? - Miss Radabaugh will get that.

No, she won't. Chambers of Mr. Justice Snow. Oh, yes, Mrs. Snow.

It's your wife, but she doesn't want to bother you.

You're interrupting me, but you're not bothering me.

How should I seat them this evening?

I don't care how you seat them. Try chairs.

Hello? Hello?

- What happened to Radabaugh? - She left early.

- Sinus? - She looked terrible.

Radabaugh's been with me for 23 years, and she always looks terrible.

- How do you do that, sir? - Do what?

Reach in there and find what you're looking for in the middle of all that...

Mess? To you, it's a mess. To me, it's a wilderness of free association.

Don't ever straighten up my desk. I'd never be able to find anything.

I've always been suspicious of neatness.

If there's nothing on top of a man's desk,

he probably shoved all the clutter into the drawers.

And if his drawers are empty, what the hell does he need a desk for?

- May I come in, Dan? - Sure, C.J.

- How are you, Mr. Chief Justice? - I'm not sure.

Mind if I lie down on your couch?

Mason. See if those T-shirts are available on the open market.

- I'd like to wear one under my robes. - What T-shirts?

None of your goddamn business. Do I ask you about your underwear?

Hey, how come your couch is so much more comfortable than mine?

You know something, C.J.?

Maybe I'll give you that couch as a going-away present.

Who's going away?

Think of how many people would bust a gut with joy if I retired.

You wouldn't do that to me, Dan.

I won't quit when you're short-handed.

I'll wait until you got nine men on the bench again.

Yeah.

Who's the president going to pick?

He's already been appointed?

Who is he?

Mr. Justice Snow, I'm going to have to ask you to rephrase that question.

A woman.

He picked a woman. Great.

Good for him. It'll be fun.

Who is it? Who is she? Who? Who?

The president has sent up to the Senate Judiciary Committee

the name of Judge Ruth Hagadorn Loomis

of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Get off my couch. I have to lie down.

Now, now, Dan...

You're joking. It's a joke, isn't it?

The president, I am told, thinks he has made a great, progressive step

in the history of mankind.

Ruth Loomis? The mother superior of Orange County?

What goes through a man's head

when he makes an appointment like that?

I guess he was trying to be evenhanded,

president of all the people.

The Senate will never go for it, will they? Will they? Forget it.

Where's Miss Radabaugh?

Chambers of Mr. Justice Snow.

It's a reporter. Any comment for The Washington Post?

No comment from Mr. Justice Snow at this time.

You're better than Miss Radabaugh.

President wants a woman on the court, why not pick Miss Radabaugh?

She'd be perfect. She'd never show up.

Jeff, why in God's name do I get a sinking feeling in my gut

every time I think about that woman sitting on this court?

It's not because she's a woman. I like women. My wife's a woman.

The bench will smell better with a little perfume on it.

But Ruth Loomis?

How can you just let it ring?

A telephone has no constitutional right to be answered.

Don't pay any attention to it. It'll go away.

See?

- I hear she plays tennis. - Hitler played the harmonica.

Oh, she may not be so bad.

She's young.

We could use some young blood around here.

And she isn't stupid.

Fix yourself a drink.

I just might do that.

Here she is now. Come in.

Is it true?

Jack Anderson's on the phone.

Either of you care to say anything to him?

Ask him where I'm spending my vacation next summer.

I don't know, but he probably does.

I'll just tell him neither of you is available for comment.

How does a newspaperman like Jack Anderson find out what happens

in the Oval Office so fast?

Simple. He's got a friend in the Soviet Embassy.

And I'm ten minutes late.

Only one thing, Dan. Before you consider resigning...

Resigning? Who the hell is gonna resign?

You think I'd leave you here alone to get sprayed down by the Lysol Lady

of Orange County?

If that holy junta at the White House picked her

to replace Stanley Moorehead,

who in God's name do you suppose they'd send up to take my seat?

Shirley Temple?

- Five-two. - Change sides.

I'll let you take the sun for a while.

Not bad for a beginner, am I?

Let me take you someplace where I can win.

Isn't a year long enough to be a practicing widow?

Seven months. Don't rush me.

- Am I on the list? - You're at the top.

Judge Loomis. Telephone. Long-distance call for Judge Loomis.

Sorry, Bill.

I'm sorry these proceedings are taking so much time,

but we're breaking ground here.

I trust the committee's questions aren't embarrassing you, Judge Loomis?

I don't embarrass easily, senator.

Judge Loomis? Judge Loomis, about your interests and equities,

would they influence your decisions on the high court?

The financial statement in front of you is complete, senator.

When I was appointed to the 9th Circuit, I disposed of anything

that might raise a question of conflict of interest.

- Thank you. - But you were still married

to a very active and successful corporation lawyer.

Was I expected to dispose of him?

According to this FBI report,

you and your husband were partners in the law firm of Loomis and Loomis.

Yes. Excuse me, senator.

Why do you keep bringing up my husband?

When I was appointed to the federal bench, he took over the practice.

It was a tremendous burden on him. It's probably what killed him.

Did you represent Omnitech International

or its chairman, Donald Richards?

No, senator.

- You're sure about that? - Quite sure.

After you left, is it possible the firm represented them?

I'd have no knowledge of that.

Since your husband's death, you've had no contact with any firm member?

None. Oh, that's not quite true.

I do play tennis once in a while with Bill Russell. That's William Russell.

He joined the firm after I went to the bench.

You ever discuss legal business with him?

No, senator.

Do you think, perhaps, you're a little too young, Judge Loomis,

to take these responsibilities on yourself?

As I recall, Mr. Justice Snow was a year younger than I am

when he was appointed to the court.

Do you feel your decisions on the high court might be influenced

by the fact that, well, you're a woman?

I hope so. Aren't a man's decisions influenced by the fact that he's a man?

For two centuries, this court has expressed men's opinions.

Perhaps it's time for the majority of the population to have one voice in nine

in the rulings of the Supreme Court.

Is the lady implying that male justice is perverted?

Haven't we outgrown those fears

about the periodic instability of the female of the species?

Eggs are not the seeds of insanity.

A woman can ovulate and think at the same time.

We're striving to be objective.

But, really, what does sex have to do with being a judge?

Somebody with the capacity to bear children is gifted, not crippled.

A uterus is like absolute pitch. Some people have it, some don't.

Well, according to this fact sheet,

Judge Loomis has never had any children.

Does the Constitution say a Supreme Court justice has to be a mother?

Judge Loomis, we don't mean to probe into your personal life.

Why not? My entire life is public.

The FBI is wrong in reporting to you I have no children. I have hundreds.

We are the parents of our ideas.

And so my children, in other words,

my opinions, my decisions are the result of conception.

And the delivery is sometimes painful.

You may not like my children. You may find them ugly.

But, by God, your ideas and mine have equal rights to live together.

To grow, to change, even to die.

If there are no further questions, the committee will consider

an executive session of what it will recommend to the Senate.

Thank you, Judge Loomis.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, gentlemen.

Now let's check it just once more. Mr. Justice Carey is now on this end.

- That's correct. - And Mr. Justice Webb?

- Webb. - Mr. Justice Quincy?

- That's him. - Mr. Justice Snow?

- That's right. - The C.J. Stays in the center.

- And then Mr. Justice Halperin. - OK.

- Mr. Justice Clewes? - That's him.

- Mr. Justice Thompson? - That's right.

And the new chair for Justice Loomis on this end.

That's correct.

Does the lady need this?

We'll tell her it's a wastebasket.

- Good afternoon. - Welcome to Washington.

- Thank you. - Everything's ready.

- Great. Is the phone in? - Yes. The man left an hour ago.

- Thank you. - You're welcome.

- Hello? - Ready for your coronation?

- Bill? - Yes.

How did you get this number? I don't even know it.

I do. If it ever slips your mind, give me a ring.

- In the bedroom, please. - In the bedroom?

I'm talking to the bellman, you idiot.

- It's sweet of you to call. - I wanted to be the first man

in history to ask a Supreme Court justice for a date.

So noted. The clerk will put it on the docket.

- That'll take two years. - Not now that I'm in charge.

- Mr. Agronsky. - Yeah?

Whenever you're ready.

Tape is rolling.

This is a historic day for the nation

and for the Supreme Court of the United States.

The court has been in session since the first Monday in October,

which, according to the Judiciary Act of 1789,

marks the start of a new term each year.

No camera has ever photographed the traditional robing ceremony

in the sanctum sanctorum of the court,

and none is there today.

Since the death of Justice Stanley Moorehead,

this has been an eight-man court,

which, as Justice Daniel Snow has pointed out,

resembles a four-man basketball team.

- Today, the vacancy is filled. - How are you?

- But this remains an eight-man court. - Well, where is she?

Maybe we ought to sound the warning buzzer sooner.

I suppose she has things to do that we don't.

After all, I don't have anything to do with my hair.

This is an historic occasion.

Like the Jesuits going coed.

Suppose she'll want to hang chintz curtains everywhere? I hate chintz.

Why am I nervous? She should be nervous.

Things aren't going to be different from the way

they've been every two minutes to ten in court history.

We've got to think of her as one of the brothers.

Good morning.

Justice Loomis, welcome. Welcome to the court.

- Thank you. Good morning. - Nice to have you with us.

Thank you for the lovely roses.

You don't send me roses anymore, C.J.

It's 9:58, gentlemen and Madame Justice.

We shake hands like this every day, just before we take the bench.

Like nine boxers coming into a ring.

We shake hands before we knock each other out.

The honorable, the chief justice and the associate justices

of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Oyez, oyez, oyez.

All persons having business before the honorable,

the Supreme Court of the United States,

are admonished to draw near and give their attention,

for the court is now sitting.

God save the United States and this honorable court.

Today's orders of the court have been certified by the chief justice,

filed with the clerk and will not be announced orally.

Probably the peak of every lawyer's career

is that moment when he is presented and accredited

to plead before the highest court in the land.

Only lawyers ever plead in that hallowed chamber.

But today, all eyes are focused on the court's newest newcomer,

who has just received confirmation from the Senate of the United States.

Court watchers will be fascinated in the weeks and months ahead

by the figure in the leather chair farthest to the left of the chief justice.

How will this feminine presence affect

what, for two centuries, has been an all-male preserve?

Because so many states have accepted pornography as a way of life

does not mean that we are willing to compromise our values

in the sovereign state of Nebraska.

Ergo, I beseech this distinguished body,

in its infinite and scholarly wisdom,

to uphold the exalted standards of morality

which this lofty court so fervently advocates.

And how rare it is to find judicial minds

so attuned to the higher reaches of the spirit,

so understanding of the basic values we so dearly cherish,

so incredibly sensitive to the deep strains of decency,

which constitute the lapping tidewaters of our heritage?

The state of Nebraska contends that Herbert G. Maloney

knowing and willfully

perpetrated an obscene and foul...

Your time is up.

- May I be permitted...? - No.

Any questions, gentlemen? Madame Justice?

I get the impression that the state of Nebraska would like to see this film

confiscated, burned and the ashes sent into space.

Is that the idea?

If the court so recommended.

Is it your contention

that the Constitution gives this court any such power?

This court is the judge of its own power.

Until we actually examine the film in question, I think...

May it please the court,

I respectfully submit that my client's rights under the First Amendment...

The First Amendment doesn't give anybody the right

to commit acts which are harmful to the public good.

But this is an educational film.

A major documentary, a work of art.

How can we judge that until we've seen it?

Do any of the justices object, besides Justice Snow?

I think it's essential that we see the film.

Then the clerk will schedule a showing of the film at some future date

which is not in conflict with the schedule already on the calendar.

If you saw Lois walking along in the sunshine of Beverly Hills,

you might think she was just a healthy, ordinary girl,

but Lois has a problem.

Like the alcoholic who cannot stop with one drink,

like the compulsive eater who must consume one dessert after another,

Lois can never be satisfied,

can never get enough of what she craves.

- Why isn't Mr. Justice Snow here? - He never comes to these showings.

The average young woman wants one man, but Lois is insatiable.

- Have we missed much? - The lady's just getting started.

You guys get over there.

And shut the door.

We asked a distinguished physician to give his opinion of Lois' condition.

He has asked that his name be withheld

because of his high standing in the medical profession.

Dr. X, from the point of view of a man of science,

what can be done for Lois?

This sort of affliction is difficult to treat.

Let's look at the other sex as Lois sees them.

Oh, let's not.

Can Lois ever be cured?

Or is she doomed to a life of ever-increasing frustration?

I don't know about Lois, but I'm cured.

Haven't we seen enough?

During the next hour, we will try to show you...

No, I don't think so.

Projectionist, will you stop the film, please?

Please.

Thank you.

- Does anyone object? - No.

Are you stopping the film because there's a woman in the room?

- That's not why I'm uncomfortable. - You think I'm offended?

Of course I'm offended, but that's no reason to stop the film, is it?

C.J., just a moment, please.

Madame Justice Loomis, as a man, I am somewhat embarrassed

that you have to sit here and watch this thing.

I certainly can understand how Harold feels.

I wouldn't want to sit through it with my wife

or arrange a special showing for Mother's Day.

But your wife and mother haven't been appointed to this court.

Time is the point, gentlemen and Madame Justice,

and we have a responsibility not to waste it.

I have seen enough to make my decision.

- Me too. - Hear, hear.

- I do apologize, Justice Loomis. - Why?

Something is very wrong here. You're all so polite to me.

- I'm not being too outspoken, am I? - No.

No, we want you to speak up. Speak right out.

Raise hell if you want to.

You may be sorry you said that.

Actually, I do have one question.

How can Mr. Justice Snow pass judgment on something

without even seeing it? Hasn't he disqualified himself on Maloney?

Would you like to suggest that to Justice Snow?

I don't think that's one of my privileges. Isn't it yours?

- Well, yes, I suppose it is. - And Mr. Chief Justice,

I'd like to examine the rest of the film,

just to see if there's a shred of redeeming social or artistic value.

Projectionist, would you continue the film, please?

Thank you.

5:30 will be fine.

Howdy, Ben.

Good afternoon, Mr. Justice.

- How are you feeling? - Just fine, thank you. Just fine.

How's Ester?

- Better and better. - Good.

- The usual, Mr. Justice? - Sure.

- Dan. - Hi, Waldo.

I want you to know I'm not gonna support madame's motion.

- What kind of motion is she making? - Oh, I thought you knew.

Knew what?

You better get it from the C.J.

- We'll do this later, Ben. - Yes, sir.

Hi, Dan. Missed you at lunch.

- What's she up to? - What's who up to?

How many "she's" do we have on the court?

Oh, that. Well, it's just that a question came up.

Yeah.

Or more accurately, a suggestion was made.

- Yeah? - Well, what it amounts to is,

should...?

Should attendance be obligatory at these obscenity screenings?

Who wasn't there besides me?

- House was packed. - What's her beef?

Well, the lady wonders

whether a justice who hasn't seen any part of the film hasn't, in effect...

She wants me to disqualify myself

because I won't go down there and sit through that pile of crap.

- Well... - So it's crap. What if it is crap?

That's not the point. Crap's got the right to be crap.

Drop the legal language, Dan.

Are you, as chief justice,

suggesting that I disqualify myself from voting on Maloney?

No, I'm merely suggesting that it's been suggested.

Where are you going?

I've got a present for Madame Just-ess.

Not roses.

And have a look at U.S. V. Albertson, 1954.

It's in Volume 348, U.S. Maybe 349.

- Is she in? - Oh, yes, sir, Mr. Justice Snow.

Just hold on a second.

- Yes? - Madame Justice,

Mr. Justice Snow would like to see you.

He would? When?

He's here.

Just check those references. I'll get back to you. Thank you.

Tell Mr. Justice Snow I'll be happy to see him in a minute.

She'll be happy to see you in a moment.

Thank you.

Ask Mr. Justice Snow to come in, Mr. Robinson.

- You may go in, Mr. Justice. - Thank you.

No, no. Please. Please don't get up. Don't get up.

You'd stand, Mr. Justice, if I came to call on you in chambers.

Oh, I wouldn't be too sure about that.

I can't tell you how grateful I am to you for seeing me like this

on no notice whatsoever.

- It's my honor. - Is it?

Well, I suppose it is.

Say,

that's quite a desk, and so neat.

Do aircraft land here frequently?

What is it that you wanted to see me about?

Nothing earthshaking.

By George, I was a little startled to see that you got a male law clerk out there.

Mr. Robinson. He's not my law clerk. He's my secretary.

Well, well, well, well. What a generous gesture.

Letting men into a field previously dominated by the other sex.

I'm glad you're in favor of men's lib.

Say, let's relax.

Do you feel like relaxing?

Madame Just-ess, I hope you aren't finding our national capital too dull,

after the grandeur of Disneyland.

You don't think much of California, do you?

Oh, I try not to think of it at all.

Why don't you try climbing some of our mountains.

Oh, I have, I have. I admire your mountains.

It's your valleys that make me nervous.

Now, Madame Just-ess, I would like your opinion on a point of law

concerning that great American art form, the motion picture.

Help yourself.

Oh, thank you.

Now, I was wondering if, by any chance, you'd seen a film called...

The Naked Nymphomaniac?

That's the one.

Now, you probably didn't even notice I wasn't there.

- I noticed. - Oh, you did?

Well.

Well,

I wonder if you found anything unpleasant in the picture.

First of all, I see no reason to overturn the lower court.

Anyone who'd seen that film

would realize that The Naked Nymphomaniac

is a total offense against the public sensibility.

It's sickening, degrading, disgusting...

My, my, my, my, my, my.

As bad as all that?

I wonder if you can put your finger

on exactly what it was that offended you?

Was it the title?

Some particular word in the title? "Naked", is that it?

What if they called it The Fully Clothed Nymphomaniac?

Or maybe it was the other word that bothered you?

"Nymphomaniac".

Supposing they called it The Naked Methodist?

Or The Naked Daughter of the American Revolution?

Are you finished?

Madame Just-ess, I am a long way from being finished,

but I'll pause briefly, in case there's something you'd like to say.

Thank you.

Let me ask you something.

Would you call a female governor a governess?

Is a woman composer a composeress? No.

And her sex is entirely beside the point.

And a justice of the Supreme Court is a justice, not Madame Just-ess.

Now, Mr. Justice, I submit that we are failing in our duty on this court

if we don't try to stop the avalanche of prurient slop...

- Madame, if you'll... - I'm not finished!

Which is about to bury us.

Are we doing our job if we permit anything?

What are we permitting?

Violence in the streets, kids on drugs, filth, pornography...

Who slaps the labels on? You? Me?

- Somebody better. - No, thank you.

I think it's unconstitutional to set myself up as a censor.

Refusing to look at something is censorship.

I don't look at television. That doesn't make it illegal.

That's not the point.

Seeing that film is material to making a judgment.

If you'd spent ten minutes in that screening room, five minutes,

you would see how obscene, how outrageous...

Censorship is an outrage!

What about a training film for terrorists?

A free lecture, How to Make a Nuclear Bomb in Your Basement.

Do you condone inciting to violence?

- No, ma'am. - What about inciting to decadence?

- Define "decay". - That's what we're here for.

- Not me. - We'd better try.

The people of this country have only one absolute protection against chaos:

The law.

You and I were appointed to this court for only one reason:

To uphold and sustain that law.

Watch out, you can't turn the law into a straitjacket.

The law's gotta be a suit of clothes a man can wear.

It's gotta fit easy. Be comfortable.

Law shouldn't strap a man in at the throat or the brain or the crotch.

That's vivid.

You're making Maloney more important than the law.

- He is more important. - This court doesn't try men.

We put their trials on trial.

That's it. We're constantly examining the witness who isn't there.

All we ever get to see are lawyers, cold records, cold briefs.

Where's the human being? Where's the pain? We've gotta touch flesh.

I'll tell you where the pain is. It's in the people who get hurt.

The innocent kid who sits in a dark theater

while Maloney's filth pours over him. That's where the pain is.

You're on the right track.

You're beginning to look at people.

When you let a little more humanity into your thinking,

you might make a damn good justice.

But I won't bet on it.

You're just being sweet to me because I'm a woman.

Do I have any appointments this afternoon?

- 3:15, Miller of security... - Cancel it!

- Mrs. Snow just called. - Call her back.

Tell her I can't talk to her. And blow your nose, please.

I don't wanna talk to anybody. I gotta work, concentrate.

Yes, sir.

He says he doesn't want...

I wouldn't dream of disturbing Justice Snow.

I'm looking for Herbert G. Maloney, film producer.

- There you are, Mr. Maloney. - What?

A respected colleague of mine, Mr. Justice Snow,

feels that this court is doing you a great injustice

by not meeting you face to face.

We ought to hear your voice, bask in your personality.

What was the expression he used? Oh, yes. We should "touch flesh".

Mason, call the guard.

Don't go, Mason. This might be quite educational for all of us.

Would you care to take the witness stand, Mr. Maloney?

- You gonna swear me in? - You gonna lie to me?

Maybe you better swear me in.

I, Herbert G. Maloney, do solemnly swear

the testimony I'm about to give will be the truth, the whole truth

and nothing but the truth, so help me, Loomis.

Let's get right to the point, Mr. Maloney.

Are you aware that you broke a law?

No, ma'am.

You didn't realize that Nebraska has statutes prohibiting pornography?

Doesn't the First Amendment apply to guys like me?

Isn't it an umbrella that's supposed to keep all of us from getting wet?

Or is there a hole in it over Nebraska?

But the people of Nebraska have the freedom to protect themselves

against your abuse of their freedom.

That's what this case is all about.

Look, lady, I'm a businessman.

I don't see where the government's got any business

telling me how to run my business!

I'm relieved.

For a while, I thought you might be thinking of yourself as an artist.

I do recall the word "art" plastered across your film.

Tell me, Mr. Maloney,

do you honestly believe The Naked Nymphomaniac is art?

Sure. Why not? Who's to say it isn't? What's art anyway?

Artists don't even know, let alone lawyers.

Exactly what was your motivation in filming The Naked Nymphomaniac?

Money. You can't have much pursuit of happiness in this country

unless you pursue a little money. Anything unconstitutional about that?

Does the Constitution give you the right to do anything for money?

Does it give you the right to shove me into bankruptcy?

The lawmakers of Nebraska want to stop the pollution of the minds

and morals of the public by films like yours.

My colleague on this bench, Mr. Justice Snow...

Fine man. Know him very well.

He feels strongly about profit-pursuing conglomerates which pollute the air.

Air's different. You gotta breathe. You don't have to go to the movies.

State and local governments have a right to set community standards.

People can say, "I don't want this in my neighborhood."

Is it OK for people to say, "We don't want Baptists in our neighborhoods"?

Your film, it's called an exploitation film, is that correct?

Right. You're keeping me from exploiting it.

Aren't you exploiting women?

The act of love?

Giving a distorted picture of sex to young people?

- Who am I hurting? - I'm not talking about bodily harm.

Has anyone died from seeing The Naked Nymphomaniac?

What about injury to the spirit?

Doesn't your celluloid poison attack all human dignity

- and decency and beauty? - I don't think you like my picture.

I think somebody had better set some standards. Some...

...voice had better say, "This far, and no farther."

You're talking like a woman, not a justice.

You're talking like a justice, not a witness. Sit down, Maloney.

Have you been to New York lately?

Times Square, 44th, 45th Street?

It used to be a decent place to visit.

Unforgettable music, powerful plays...

Today, right around the corner, on Eighth Avenue,

your picture is probably playing

alongside a lot of other pornography and filth.

Watch out, lady. Scratch me, put me out of business,

and who else gets scratched?

The same end of the eraser

can wipe out your unforgettable music and your powerful plays.

You're sharp, Maloney. You pull every sleeve inside out.

You want the liberty to dirty up my liberty,

my security against the profiteering, two-legged cockroaches of this world,

my right to live in a sweet and decent society, and not some kind of sewer.

Even in New York,

you have to clean up after your dog shits on the sidewalk.

It's a perversion of the Constitution to shove our faces into excrement

masquerading as art.

Oh, I'm glad I met you, Mr. Maloney.

I feel I have a much better understanding of you

and Justice Snow.

He may want the absolute freedom to go straight to hell. That's his right,

but he has no right to force the rest of the country to take the trip with him.

You may step down.

Yeah, you make a pretty good trial lawyer.

- Too bad you had to give it up. - You make a very good actor.

I may always feel there's a pornographic producer

under your robes.

It makes me sick to my stomach

to have to defend a principle as noble as the First Amendment

on the basis of that can of film you found so offensive.

But, by God, as long as I have tongue and tonsils and the ability to talk,

I'll defend everybody's right to speak and every man's right to be wrong.

I yield to you as the authority on that, Mr. Justice.

She's dangerous.

That woman is positively dangerous.

The men on this court have got to stick together.

After all, there are only eight of us left against all of her.

- Should we smile a little? - Good God, no.

Who'd trust a happy justice?

Should the lady be standing while the five of us are sitting?

This is where the newest member of the court is supposed to be.

Ready, everybody? Please don't look directly into the camera.

And I think if you seem to be looking out into space...

- Into the future? - I can't see that far.

- I didn't bring my glasses. - You'll need more than glasses.

My wife always hates these pictures. She says we look stuffed.

Why don't we take a snapshot of our convictions.

It'd have to be a moving picture, if convictions mean anything.

- My convictions don't move. - Neither did the dinosaurs.

Here we go.

Oh, no, no. Come on. Tear that one up.

Yes, Mr. Chief Justice.

Would somebody suggest to our great dissenter

that he curb his celebrated sense of humor?

He'll need all his wits to keep on writing minority opinions.

A man's gotta decide whether to be on the right side or the winning side.

Once in a while, they're the same.

This court won't reverse the 7th Circuit on Omnitech.

We sure won't if we don't even hear it!

Now, come on. Hold that for the conference room.

You can wreck the whole business establishment, Mr. Justice Snow,

with your damned socialist ideas...

I'm about as much of a socialist as Donald Duck,

and you know it, you brainwashed Brahman!

Now, come on, come on, come on. Harold, come on. Sit down there.

Come on, now. Dan, behave yourself.

Here we go.

- Destroy that negative. - Yes, sir.

Now, Harold, try to remember what you did with your face last year.

- You looked pretty good. - I did?

Just look trustworthy.

Somebody in Washington had better look that way.

Is Justice Snow implying that nobody in this city or this country is honest

except him?

- To hell with the picture. - Where are you going?

- We've got to finish this. - Paste me in from last year.

All right, Richard. We'll try again tomorrow.

Yes, sir.

- It's been a pleasure. - Good afternoon, sir.

Where are you going? Not to Europe again.

Much farther than that.

Virginia.

Yes, you can take those too. I'll bring this myself.

I thought I'd be gone before you came home.

Usually, that's not very difficult.

I left a note for you on the dining room table.

I don't want to read any notes.

Then talk it over with my lawyers.

They thought that would avoid any unnecessary unpleasantness.

What's so pleasant about talking to lawyers?

Maybe the court can stand your bad temper, but I can't!

What do you mean, "bad temper"? Goddamn it!

I'm the sweetest-tempered son of a bitch in the District of Columbia!

- Sit down! - Why should I sit down?

- What the hell are you doing? - Describe the wallpaper.

- What wallpaper? - In this room.

- The wallpaper? - What color is it?

- What design? - Who memorizes wallpaper?

You can't memorize what you don't ever see.

Goodbye, Dan.

Pink roses and butterflies, for chrissake.

How does the great dissenter feel about our playing tennis together?

I'm not sure. I haven't told him yet.

I must say, Dan Snow has done a lot for my game.

Every time I get a high one I can really kill,

that's not you on the other side of the net.

That's why they go by me so fast.

Go change. I'll give you a lift to Mount Olympus.

How do you stand his moods, Mason?

Every time I see him, he's ready to explode.

Does he ever just relax?

Yeah, he does have strong feelings.

Same as you do.

I hope you're not implying that we're alike.

No, no, no. I just mean that you have similar differences.

You both care about things. Nothing's unimportant,

whether you're making a point on the bench or on the tennis court.

Does Justice Snow ever talk about me?

Oh, all the time.

Anything quotable?

Well...

I withdraw the question. Hearsay evidence. Inadmissible.

Morning.

You're not a double agent, are you, Mason?

No, sir. We just get in a set of tennis about once a week.

Before breakfast.

She plays very well for a justice of the Supreme Court.

- She's got a hell of a backhand, sir. - Yeah, I know. I've seen it work.

Well, when we found out we were both tennis players...

- Well, I hope you don't mind, sir. - Hell, no!

Go ahead. Wear her out.

Yes, sir.

Why are you trying to persuade me?

You know I won't vote to hear it.

All right, all right, all right, all right! We'll table this one.

- Why not table everything? - Oh, no. Abbott v. Omnitech.

Oh, come on.

I think putting Omnitech on the calendar is an exercise in futility.

- Right. - Oh, is it?

Perhaps if we stop recruiting judges from the jungles of Orange County,

maybe we can get a 4-5 court turned into a 5-4 court.

I'm so sick and tired of being on the short end of the vote all the time.

- We're saving you from that. - I don't wanna be saved!

I want to keep right on going straight to hell.

What's Omnitech done?

That's what these little stockholders are trying to find out.

But, Dan, the momentum engine doesn't work.

That's what Omnitech says. What about experts who say otherwise?

But we'll never know, will we?

Because Donald Richards, chairman of Omnitech,

has bought up all the patents and buried them.

This action is against Omnitech, not Donald Richards.

Donald Richards is Omnitech, for chrissake!

And where the hell is he? And why has he disappeared?

Lmmaterial.

I don't see any new constitutional grounds for us to review Omnitech.

If we don't hear it, who in the hell will? This is the last goddamned stop, lady!

Why does Brother Snow insist on wasting the court's valuable time?

Because I smell plenty of unrefrigerated fish here.

Muckraking. That's all it is, Dan.

Do you like being screwed? Because that's what Donald Richards is doing.

He's screwing you and me and the whole country.

- You're a troublemaker. - Yes, I know that,

but somebody has to be, C.J. Move up Omnitech!

- Good morning, Mr. Justice Snow. - Morning.

What makes you think it's gonna rain?

The newspaper said there's an 80 percent chance of rain or snow.

What do they know? They're wrong 80 percent of the time.

- That was our floor. - Yes. Why didn't you get out?

I thought you go first.

How would you like to take a little trip with me?

That's what we seem to be doing.

- Ever been to the Smithsonian? - Not lately.

Understand, I wouldn't dream of changing your mind for the world,

but there's something at the Smithsonian you ought to look at.

Some early American pornography?

- Good morning, Mr. Justice. - Good morning.

What have you got in the briefcase, Harold? Dirty books?

What I want you to see at the Smithsonian

isn't even vaguely offensive to the public sensibility.

What time?

- Three o'clock. - Make it 3:15.

We'll take my car.

What time does the Smithsonian close?

This won't take long.

Why don't we take my car. It has a top.

Well, I guess the paper was right about the rain.

First time they've been right in 20 years.

Lady, what you are about to see is a revolution.

Nonviolent, I hope.

This is it.

Spin it. Go ahead, go ahead. Give it a spin. It won't hurt you.

That is a momentum engine.

Oh, it's a model, of course, prototype.

Imagine a flywheel 20 times heavier, revolving 1,000 times faster,

in a sealed vacuum.

This could revolutionize the entire auto industry.

We could have cars without gas tanks. They wouldn't need gas to run.

This is what Omnitech bought and buried.

If you want to change my vote on Omnitech, no, thank you.

I'm trying to change dead words on a page into a visual image

to clarify in your mind...

Don't treat me like a first-year law student.

- I'm just trying... - To change my mind.

I'm trying to help you change your mind all by yourself.

That machine is a dandy idea, and it just doesn't work.

It's never been given a chance to work. It's been squashed.

Would you go to all this trouble if I were a man?

- One of the brothers? - Sex has nothing to do with it.

Because I'm a woman, your male ego wants to win me over.

Thomas Jefferson said, "An educated electorate is the basis..."

You're an arrogant, self-centered, male chauvinist pig!

You're just being sweet to me because I'm a man.

I only wanted you to see with your own eyes

that gasoline isn't the only way to store energy.

Well, don't expect me to believe that that Alice in Wonderland

whirligig could run a car.

Having trouble, are you?

Excuse me.

Finally got the auto club. It may be a while.

We could take a cab if we could get a cab.

- Have you eaten anything? - No, I just got in here, same as you.

I meant today.

Oh, today, well, I'm not sure. I don't keep track.

- Know what that does to blood sugar? - What do you care?

A person can't make valid judgments.

- Is that anyplace in the Constitution? - Good evening.

Good evening. I'm not hungry. Just a cup of coffee, please. Black.

You are hungry and don't know it.

I'm not hungry, and I know it.

I'll order something for you. Nei gong matyeh wa ah?

You're not telling her to put poison in my food, are you?

I don't know how to say "poison". Paiquat.

- Paiquat. - Ching ching hai.

- Ching ching hai. - Jingyu.

- Jingyu. - Gad dimsum.

Dimsum.

I appreciate your concern about my insides.

Do me a favor, will you? Put your hand over your eyes.

- Why? - A test.

- What's on the wall? - Wallpaper.

- What color? - Gold.

- Any pattern? - Yes.

- What is it? - Cherry blossoms with bluebirds.

- How the hell did you know that? - I saw it when we came in.

You go around looking at wallpaper everyplace? My God!

That's what's wrong with you! Your brains are full of wallpaper.

- Well, your brain is full of... - Watch that, watch...

People, people here.

I was going to say momentum engines and Omnitech.

Omnitech may be the most important case of this decade.

When one group of stockholders tries to undermine a great corporation...

Big, huge, not necessarily great.

How come the president of Omnitech didn't show up at his trial?

He doesn't want the courts to put him out of business.

Rule against them, and down goes the corporate system.

- Only the abuses. - In your isolated opinion.

Not so isolated. The first judge ruled for the stockholders.

- If we try to extend our jurisdiction - What's fair?

Into legislative area... Don't you see, Omnitech must win?

- You think that, do you? - Yes!

It seems, to me, anything can happen no matter how great the odds.

That's what makes this country so wonderful.

I absolutely agree with you.

But you know what I believe above all else? You said it on the bench!

You said, "The noblest purpose of this high court

"is to keep the government off the backs of the people."

- People, yes! - Aren't corporations people?

- Owned by people, run by people? - Not the large...

- For the benefit of people? - Not the large...

They may be destroyed by people on the high court who have forgotten

some of their earlier and wiser opinions.

To hell with this.

You haven't eaten your dim sum.

- To hell with my dim sum. - And your blood sugar?

The hell with my blood sugar. All I wanted is a cup of coffee and a fork.

- Is something wrong? - Yes! Everything! Give me a check.

- I'll take the check. - Yes, you do that.

You'll feel better about it. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I'll take a cab.

Good.

It's nothing personal.

He's just very upset. He's been working too hard.

I don't have any money for a cab.

Good night, Madame Justice.

Would you deliver these to Justice Snow in the morning?

Justice Snow is still here.

- I don't think so. - He's in the court, ma'am.

- This late? - Yes, ma'am.

OK, thank you.

How long have you been here?

Since October.

I'm not sure the lady has enough seniority to haunt these chambers at...

...1:20 in the morning.

What the hell are you doing here so late?

Studying for finals.

What about you?

Well, I used to think I lived in Georgetown,

but I guess this is more my permanent residence.

I brought you these.

A few opinions of mine from the lower court.

- I'll read them, thank you. - You're welcome.

May I ask you a question?

Sure.

Other than my blood sugar and my bad table manners,

exactly how repulsive do you think I am?

Do you want my opinion as a justice of the Supreme Court?

No, no, no, no, no. As a woman.

- Do you want to take the Fifth? - Maybe one of us had better.

My car runs now. Would you like a lift home?

No, it's pretty cool around the Snow household these days.

I heard that. I'm sorry.

It's your fault, you know.

My fault?

My wife thinks that I spend so much time being furious at you

that I don't have enough energy left to be furious with her.

And I have a hunch...

...she thinks I consider you attractive.

There's certainly no evidence to support that contention.

Oh, I wouldn't be too sure about that.

I hope you assure Mrs. Snow that the mere fact

that one of your colleagues is a woman...

That's no mere fact. It's an overwhelming fact.

But I've never been prejudiced by sex. Entertained, yes. Prejudiced, never.

Yes, yes, yes, this is a dandy. I remember it well.

I don't agree with a word of it, but it's well-written.

How can you be so goddamn logical and so goddamn wrong?

What's so wrong about encouraging the economy?

I've heard you talk over and over again about

improving the quality of life on this planet, and I agree with you, Dan.

- Justice Snow. - "Dan" is fine.

Look what these great companies have done...

Large companies. Large.

Are we throwing those benefits away?

Should I take my weekly wash to the Potomac River and beat it with rocks?

You won't get it very clean.

If we reverse the 7th Circuit on Omnitech...

If it is so damn important,

why doesn't Donald Richards stand trial?

- What do you want to know? - You're not Donald Richards.

He's the one with the answers.

Swear me in.

Oh, you want to play that game again.

All right, you're sworn.

I am delighted, Mr. Donald Richards, to have you here at last,

in the flesh, so to speak.

Would you state your occupation, please?

I'm president and chairman of the board of Omnitech International.

Why did you refuse to testify in the suit against your company?

I never received a subpoena.

They have to know where you are to serve it,

but you deliberately made yourself unavailable, remained in hiding.

Doesn't an American citizen have a right to privacy?

Tell me something, sir, I'll bet you have a share or two of stock in Omnitech.

I'm the majority stockholder.

Yes, I kind of thought you were.

Now, what about all those little stockholders

who got wind of the appalling notion

that you, Mr. Richards, grabbed up an earthshaking idea and strangled it?

You know what I find appalling?

That you have the arrogance to pass judgment

on something you don't know anything about.

But you do, Mr. Richards?

When we test something, like the momentum engine,

and we find out it doesn't work, we drop it.

We spend our time and money on something that will work.

What about the experts who say it does work?

You think that I would deliberately dump an idea

that could make millions for my stockholders?

But you've got billions committed to the internal combustion engine.

Omnitech makes spark plugs, you want to go on making spark plugs.

There's money in carburetors, you want to go on making carburetors.

You've got vested interests in 16 oil companies,

you want to go on selling gas.

You have one noble purpose, Mr. Richards:

To keep things the way they are.

Look, an idea doesn't just turn into a reality.

Something's got to make it happen.

It takes money to build factories, grind out a product, advertise it, sell it.

Did you ever hear of a box of cereal or a tube of toothpaste

going out and giving birth to itself? Do you know what it takes?

- Capital. - Capital! You're damn right!

And I'm not going to commit my corporation to the expenditure

of millions of dollars on an idea that just doesn't work.

That you say doesn't work.

Look! Thomas Edison dreamed up the electric light bulb.

The government gave him a patent so that he could profit from his invention.

Fine! But the light itself belongs to everybody.

And nobody, nobody has a right to turn on the darkness.

You dare accuse me, my company,

my companies of practices that belong in the Dark Ages. I...

Then let there be light! Come out of the dark, Donald Richards!

Who are you? What do you look like? Where have you been?

Holy Christ, you know what I think? I think you're dead, Donald Richards.

I think you've been dead for a long time. Eight, maybe ten years.

It's been that long since anyone has seen you.

And if you are dead, who is running Omnitech?

Who actually holds all that power?

Some cabal of faceless men without names, without fingerprints,

without Social Security numbers, who are compounding your suppression

of the momentum engine by hiding behind a dead man?

- Why would anybody wanna do that? - Hell of a lot of reasons.

Dodge inheritance taxes, avoid a power struggle,

hang on to government contracts.

Omnitech is a phantom government hiding behind a dead man.

We can't see it. We didn't elect it. It doesn't exist. It never dies!

Why don't we hoist up a new flag.

The Star-Spangled Omnitech!

Omnitech rules the waves! Omnitech über alles!

Dan, are you all right?

Yeah, sure.

It was a lot of fun. I enjoyed it.

One, two.

Up.

- What do the doctors say? - They don't know. They're testing.

- Is he in any pain? - No. I don't think so.

I don't ever remember Dan being sick before.

He considers it unconstitutional.

I've never walked into that chamber without Dan there.

Are you ready, gentlemen and Madame Justice?

After today's session, I need 24 hours. I have to go to California.

Something I have to be absolutely sure about.

Of course.

We are making our descent to John Wayne/Orange County Airport.

Please be sure your seat belt is securely fastened.

Golden West Airlines announces flight 710 from Los Angeles,

now arriving at gate B.

Welcome home, Madame Justice. You look fabulous.

- Thanks, Bill. Thanks for meeting me. - Thank you for letting me.

How about your luggage?

- This is it. - That's it?

I have to catch the redeye back tonight.

You're kidding? I had a lot of things arranged for us.

I'm a working girl.

Not even one set? I was planning on beating you this time.

The court sits tomorrow morning.

Well, you were right.

Loomis and Loomis did have dealings with Omnitech.

But I don't think it's anything you should be worried about.

I'd say your husband's relationship with Donald Richards lasted five minutes.

- Is this all there is? - That's it.

Now, I've made reservations for lunch at a new place on the water.

But first, let's stop by the office.

Lots of people there'd like to see what a Supreme Court justice looks like.

What's the matter?

I never could read your husband's shorthand.

I can.

- Take me to Bekins Warehouse. - What for?

Just take me.

Loomis records are on the left-hand side, at the end.

Why is this one locked?

Big surprise to me.

I never thought of the Supreme Court as an investigative body.

What's in there?

- You don't wanna know. - Give me the key.

And don't tell me you haven't got it.

You knew about this all along, didn't you?

So did your husband.

Reverend Loomis preached the sermon. I just said, "Amen."

I don't believe this.

- I just don't believe this. - Good. It's better that way.

Put the file away. Turn the key, and it never happened.

If you think I'm gonna shove this back into the dark to protect you or the firm

or myself, you're dead wrong.

Get me the references on Dalton v. Utah.

I want a fax of the Black letter that's on my desk,

on the top of Sperry v. Virginia. Right.

You shouldn't be out of bed, Mr. Justice.

Nurse, can you lend me a quarter? Just a minute, operator.

Reverse the charges, will you?

Yes. Just reverse... Make it a...

Mason, tell the operator you'll pay for the call, will you?

Justice Snow is at the telephone again.

I'm aware of that, Mason.

I am aware of that. Just because I'm in a hospital

doesn't mean my mind isn't functioning.

Listen, don't let them take that Omnitech vote without me. It's...

Dr. Halloran, please call extension 429. Red blanket...

Will the head surgical nurse call the main desk, please?

Dr. Sing, please go to the Orthopedic Wing.

Dr. Sing, go to the Orthopedic Wing.

You have just dropped American justice on the floor.

Dr. Foley, please go to Admitting.

Hi.

Come on in.

- How are you? - How are you?

I'm fine. Pay no attention to the buzzards circling above the building.

They yanked out my telephone.

How do they expect you to get any work done here? What are you doing?

I'm not gonna fall out.

They can kill you in the hospital if you don't stick up for your rights.

You be a good boy, now, Mr. Justice, and don't give us any more trouble.

Get me another pillow.

Maybe I should talk to you another time.

Oh, no. No. What's the problem? Come here.

I just wanted to tell you this before you heard it from somebody else.

- I went to California for the day... - Couldn't take it?

I'm resigning from the court.

Why would you do a damn fool thing like that?

I found out that, Jack, my husband, and our law firm

were involved with Omnitech.

Good morning, Dan. Morning.

Dr. Parker. Madame Justice Loomis.

- How do you do? - It's a pleasure.

Somebody swiped my telephone, doctor.

No. We took it out, Dan. We want you to rest.

How do you expect me to rest without a telephone?

That logic will get you nowhere.

And would you please stop trying to change the hospital rules?

The First Amendment to the Constitution doesn't apply in hospitals.

It should.

What the hell are you doing here?

Official business of the federal government.

May I come in?

Oh, did I get you in the middle of something? I'm sorry.

What did you do? Just get up and walk out?

- Yes, ma'am. This is very nice. - You're still under observation.

- It's bigger than my place. - They don't know what happened.

They'll have to figure it out. I can't give them more of my time.

- Dan, if it was a coronary... - Coronary?!

My heart wouldn't dare attack me.

Now what's all this crap about quitting?

Do you mind?

- Why don't you lie down. - That's OK.

- Put your feet up. - I'll be all right. I don't wanna get...

- Can I get you a pillow? - Sure. Why not?

- Are you asleep? - Yes.

Here.

You wanna tell me what's wrong?

Are you well enough to talk?

I'm even well enough to listen.

The other night, you made an outrageous statement.

You said you didn't think Donald Richards was still alive.

I got this out of a sealed Loomis and Loomis file in Santa Ana.

It's Donald Richards' death certificate.

Holy God.

- Anybody else see this? - No.

This makes Omnitech a whole new ball game.

My God, are we gonna shake up the brothers.

Get your clothes on. We can still make that morning conference.

- I'm not going. - What?

I told you, I'm resigning from the court.

Well, that's idiotic. It doesn't make any sense.

My husband knew. Jack knew that Donald Richards died in Costa Rica

in 1973, and he was part of the conspiracy to cover it up.

Did you know? Did your husband ever tell you anything about it?

No. Of course not.

Then there's no reason to resign. Get some clothes on, let's get down there.

If there is the slightest doubt in anybody's mind that I belong there,

I don't wanna be there.

Lady, that is extremely noble but goddamn wrong.

What do you think I should do? What's protocol? Write the president?

You write nobody. Keep your robes on, let the mud fly. It won't stick.

Quitting the court without good reason

is spitting in the face of the government that put you there.

I've got good reason.

Because of what your husband did that you didn't know about?

When you're married, you're a part of them.

You're a member of the high court. When they give you that chair

that you'll sit in for life, something happens!

"In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,

"this corruption shall put on incorruption."

St. Paul v. The Corinthians.

Et al. Interesting case.

But what if an incorrupt person finds out that she's corrupt?

That's applesauce, and you know it.

I thought you'd be happy to have me off the court.

Oh, that was before you were on the court.

I never thought I'd ever kiss a Supreme Court justice.

You didn't kiss me. I kissed you.

Make you a deal. You don't resign, I don't die.

Let me think about that.

Don't we want the working entrance?

Not this morning. Right up the front steps.

I can't wait to get into that conference room.

You really think we can go in there and I can pick up where I left off?

Hell, no! Every day is different. You're different, I'm different.

Every morning, fresh beginning, fresh start.

- First Monday in October. - Always.

Hey! What about the meter?

- Oh, I don't have any money. - You liberals never do.

- $4.25. - Here.

- Keep the change - Thanks, Your Honor.

You know what's on the calendar right after Omnitech, don't you?

The First Atheist Church v. The City of Waco, Texas.

- Ain't gonna miss that one, are you? - Community standards should prevail.

And religious freedom?

- Atheism is a religion? - God, yes.

Oh, Dan! What about Cook County Diocese v. John Doe?

- What about Smith v. U.S.? - Miller v. Moon?

- Dalton v. Utah? - We'll have a battle on that one.

- Count on it. - You shouldn't climb these steps.

Why not? This is my mountain. Our mountain.

You know something? You and I make each other possible.

Damn right, we do.