Rashel's transfers each
happened after he was reported
for excessive use of force on duty.
So Omar's not his only victim.
I trusted Rashel blindly.
It's on me to fix it.
It seems real easy for you
to just dismiss my grandparents.
It just seems like you don't speak up
as much as you probably should.
He's innocent by all accounts,
and he still may go
to prison. It's wrong.
Time's up. I cannot hold off
the jury any longer.
Do you willingly change your plea
- by waiving your constitutional rights?
- Yes.
Mr. Parson, you are placed
on five years of probation,
credit for time served in custody.
♪♪
♪♪
♪ Change ♪
♪ Tired of the same old thing ♪
- Carmichael, a new year.
- Hell, yeah.
- How long is it now?
- Two weeks.
Yowzers! Well, take it easy.
Oh, I intend to. I got
a birth plan to finish up,
and then days to clean off my desk
so no one can come for me when I'm gone.
I went back to work
a month after I had Ben.
Maybe that's why he hates me.
I am looking forward
to my mat leave downtime.
Get to bond with my baby and let Robin
- do all the dirty work.
- His transfer's complete?
Will be by the time this one arrives.
- And your son doesn't hate you, Lisa.
- [ENGINE REVS]
Yeah, he does a little,
but let's not ruin our morning.
- Ladies.
- Happy new year, Jonas.
Oh, I think it's too early to
tell how happy it is, don't you?
Abigail, how's your year been so far?
Amazing. My husband and I
resolved to try paleo.
My life is now
a never-ending meat hangover.
Oh. Okay.
[VEHICLE APPROACHES,
TIRES SCREECHING LOUDLY]
[ENGINE REVVING]
[TIRES SCREECH]
[GEARS SHIFT, ENGINE TURNS OFF]
- Whoa! Look at this. Whoa!
- Okay, Albert. I see you.
- Baby.
- Whoa.
Mes amis, let's do this.
♪ Lookin' back on the track ♪
♪ For a little greenback ♪
♪ Got to find just the kind
or losin' my mind ♪
♪ Out of sight in the night,
out of sight in the day ♪
♪ Lookin' back on the track ♪
[MEDITATIVE MUSIC PLAYING]
♪♪
Lighting's nice in here. Soft.
And then she closed her eyes.
Vipassana? Transcendental? Zen?
Ness, I am going to be here
alone for more minutes,
and then you can tell me
all about how to solve
the riddle of American justice.
♪♪
This is the jury's verdict form
from the Leon Parson's case.
I found it while I was cleaning.
They voted not guilty.
Okay, okay, back. Back, back, back.
It was unanimous. They voted not guilty.
Judge Carmichael encouraged
Leon Parson to plead guilty.
Okay, I wouldn't use
the word "encourage."
Okay,
everybody knows that he didn't do it.
Stop talking!
Look, I-I didn't know what to do.
I didn't wanna ruin anybody's holiday.
I know how bad this looks for Lola.
Judge Carmichael.
I tried to throw it out. I tried.
- [SIGHS]
- But I couldn't, and...
I... I... uh...
[SIGHS]
- Good morning.
- Hi.
There's someone on our back porch.
Is this person conscious?
Uh, yes.
Do we need a significant show of force
- to remove said person?
- Uh, no.
Is this person known or
unknown to this household?
Hard to say.
It's District Attorney Louis Bravo.
Gotta get to court.
[UNDER BREATH] Damn.
[DOG BARKING IN DISTANCE]
Coffee smells good.
Gosh, I haven't had a cup
of coffee in years,
as long as I've been doing yoga.
Nice spot you have here, Mark.
Uh, what can I do for you, sir?
You can do yoga right out here.
Mark, we have some details to settle on
before we seek an indictment
on Deputy Sheriff Rashel.
Attempted m*rder... This is a big deal.
It is, yes, sir. Sir... [STAMMERS]
Secrecy is paramount,
so I thought you and I
could work it out here.
Don't you want
your executive team to weigh in?
I will loop 'em in later.
Where should we start?
By treating Deputy Rashel
the same as any other alleged felon.
Nothing special. No kickbacks.
This man is the first
peace officer to be charged
with a felony in this county
in almost years.
- That's a pretty special situation.
- Why is why...
Sir, he sh*t an unarmed man
eight years ago
and then lied about it.
You charge one police officer,
you might as well be charging them all.
After the year we've had,
don't you think
it's important that we've...
To not start a w*r with the sheriff
before you finish
your second cup of coffee? Yeah.
We can't forget this man wears a badge.
That's my point, sir.
We need to message the public...
I'm sorry. Are we talking
about messaging the public?
I'm saying it's a new year,
and maybe we should start
doing things differently.
I don't like grandstanding.
It makes the cases about lawyers
and their issues
and not about the facts.
I'm not talking about grandstanding.
I'm talking about transparency.
No, you want to be seen to be
accountable at every step
because you were part
of the original case.
You're confusing what you want
with what's best for this case.
That is grandstanding.
- So he gets special treatment.
- I don't know, Mark.
How special you think
Deputy Rashel's gonna feel
once he's had his mugshot taken?
[SIGHS]
This is a joke, right?
Mark and Rachel are
teaming up for some kind of
New Year's jokey joke thing?
- It says "not guilty."
- I found it in the deliberation...
- She found it?
- On top of the envelope.
And you didn't think
to tell me until now?
- Your Honor.
- Mr. Parson...
He admitted to...
I... We kept him out of jail,
but he is now a felon,
and the jury was about to...
They were going to acquit?
[EXHALES DEEPLY]
Find the jury foreman. Bring him in.
- I need to confirm this.
- Should I inform anyone else?
Not yet.
[GASPS]
You don't need to kick me, too, Bean.
I know how bad this is.
[SIGHS]
[CELLPHONE RINGS]
Choi's looking for you.
- I just got finished with Bravo.
- Did we get the prelim?
Nope, he wants a Grand Jury.
He was pissed I even asked.
But we need transparency.
Listen, I need you to meet me
at Omar's barbershop.
Circus is about to come to town.
He needs to be ready
for what happens next.
[CELLPHONE RINGS] I'll call you back.
[SHIFTS GEARS]
[RING]
[BEEP]
[CROW CAWING]
Just jumped over.
Just jumped over like that.
You need a little help with that?
- Oh...
- [GRUNTING]
[BOTH GRUNTING]
[PANTING]
[GROANS]
[CLATTER]
[GROANS]
[PANTING]
[HELICOPTER WHIRRING]
[SIREN WAILING IN DISTANCE]
♪♪
[POLICE RADIO CHATTER]
- If we find him, we'll be in contact.
- Thank you.
[CELLPHONE RINGS, BEEP]
- Baby, I'm okay.
- Where are you?
I told you, I'm fine.
Mark, you texted me that
you were stabbed in the street.
Who texts a message like that?
Where are you?
It's a scratch, all right?
They cleaned me up here.
I'm on my way back to the H.O.J. and...
Rachel took my voir dire.
I can be there in...
Who was it? Who did it?
Detectives think it was a team effort.
One decoy, another guy waiting,
probably a...
- There were two of them?
- They both got away.
It was a setup? On the exact day
you're gonna file
attempted m*rder charges
on a deputy sheriff?
Amy, the Sheriff's Department
didn't hire Dumb and Dumber
to put a hit on me, you know?
This is exactly what I was thinking.
I gotta get back to the office.
I'll call you when I get in, okay?
- Mark.
- Bye.
[SIGHS]
♪♪
Mr. Futrell, the jury foreman,
- is on his way, Your Honor.
- What's that?
A yoga ball chair.
I ordered it for myself,
but I think it should go
where it's needed.
No, that's your yoga ball chair.
Oh, Your Honor, it would be my honor.
Only until the baby is born, yeah.
- Are they on yet?
- They're standing by.
- And the jury foreman is on his way.
- Is on his...
You said that already.
Thank you, Sherri.
[SIGHS]
Mm.
[EXHALES DEEPLY]
[COMPUTER CHIMES,
INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
Hey, everybody,
I just need a few minutes.
...there. Once again, Jonas,
completely devoid of reason.
- The man is a candidate.
- You're both insane.
Carmichael, you're muted.
- Oh. Thank you for coming.
- Everything okay? What's up?
My jury trial just before the holiday.
Plea deal at the th hour?
- We heard.
- Quite something.
- What is it?
- The jury was about to acquit.
My clerk found the verdict form.
And the clerk waited until now
to tell you about it?
She knows, Jonas. The question
is do I alert counsel?
- Oh, hang on now...
- Absolutely not.
- Step away from that.
- Absolutely no reason.
- One at a time!
- No, no, no, no. You move on.
- You've already done too much.
- CAMPBELL: Hold on.
The defendant rolled the dice.
No do-overs.
You overstepped, all right?
You need to disclose that
in full, clean up your mess,
take your lumps,
and they will be considerable.
Eat some protein. Take some time.
- Think. Breathe.
- Keep your mouth shut.
You're under no obligation
to disclose, so don't.
I think I need time to think.
This isn't just about you, Carmichael.
It's about the institution.
And you don't wanna give
the trolls another chance
to circulate
your "defund the police" video.
Wait a minute. That is not my...
This has nothing to do with that, Jonas.
Trolls don't care. That's why
they're called trolls.
Abigail for the win.
You don't wanna end up
in front of the C.J.P. again.
Trust me. Are you bouncing?
Sorry. I need to reboot.
[TAPS KEY]
[ELECTRONIC CHIRP]
[EXHALES DEEPLY]
Happy new year, Sara.
You, too, Em. Do anything?
No. Tiny bubble.
Yeah, me, too.
- I need to say something.
- [ELEVATOR BELL DINGS, DOORS OPEN]
Stop that train!
That was dramatic.
It's from a movie. You guys go first.
- I'll take the next one.
- Uh, I'll just take the stairs.
We had a... thing
before the Christmas party.
A tiff. It's fine.
She took the stairs, and you're
not talking to each other?
We were talking. That was talking.
By the way, I keep
meaning to give you...
I still have your...
- This thing of yours.
- [ELEVATOR BELL DINGS]
- I keep forgetting It's in my office.
- [ELEVATOR DOORS OPEN]
- What is it?
- Do you wanna do lunch today
in the park? I'll bring it.
- Say hi to Sam for me.
- Yeah, sure.
Carmichael, I trust you.
I believe in you.
Your command of the law
and your purest of intentions
as a jurist... You are the b*mb.
But if you try to fix this mistake,
things will get worse.
How could they possibly?
You took justice out
of the hands of citizens.
I did what I thought was right.
Referees don't take penalty sh*ts.
- They don't score goals.
- Even in the interest of justice?
When people find out about this...
The trolls? I don't care.
But you should. You really should.
I have bosses, too,
and they have had their fill
of protests and bad publicity.
What is that supposed to mean?
[SIGHS] You're not the only
one who's vulnerable.
Hey! Happy new year!
"Happy" is not the word I'd use.
What's going on?
Not one but two total strangers
stopped me on my morning walk
to blame me for the China virus.
Oh, my God. That's awful.
I hope you put them on blast.
You spoke up and gave them
a piece of your...
I tried to talk to them
about COVID and the false
and frankly r*cist nature
of their comments,
but was greeted first with bafflement,
then with a litany of barmy facts
that forced me to come into work
early to meditate,
only for my moment of peace
to be shattered
by our young clerk
with the news that Her Honor
may have inadvertently ruined
Leon Parson's life.
Sherri, I need to see Ms. Lopez
and Ms. Palmer in court.
Of course.
[DOOR CLOSES]
[BEEP, DOOR OPENS]
[TELEPHONE RINGING]
Oh. I thought you were Callan.
How was Big Bear with the parents?
Fresh powder,
- but I missed our frequency violations.
- Mm.
Look, it's nothing more serious
than a Kn*fe cut
- when you're cooking...
- Jeez!
- ...except it's not my finger.
- Whoa, wait a minute.
- It's on... Never mind.
- Are you bleeding?
- Uh, Omar's waiting in your office.
- Well, how did he get here?
- I sent a van.
- Am I missing something?
- Maybe you should change your shirt.
- Omar, hi.
Hey. What the hell happened to you?
Right. Sorry.
Just give me a...
[GROANS]
One second. Choi in his office?
- Um...
- You got stabbed?
A little. Can I change in your office?
Go to the hospital, Callan.
The ambulance is like
a little hospital on wheels.
[SCOFFS]
Excuse me. Mr. EZ Driscoll?
- That's a first. Uh, no.
- Oh. Am I in the wrong place?
- No, he's just not in yet.
- Okay. Thank you. I'll just wait here.
[TELEPHONE RINGING IN DISTANCE]
Mr. Futtrell, is this
the completed verdict form
from People v. Parson
bearing your signature?
It is.
- Counsel, please acknowledge.
- Yes, Your Honor.
- We were unanimous.
- Judge Carmichael...
Hang on, counsel. Mr. Futrell...
The jury is the bedrock
of American justice.
- That... Yes.
- You told us that.
I think I may have, yes.
You made us feel like
what we were about to do,
- that it was important.
- It was. It is.
- Except that it wasn't.
- Mr. Futrell...
Except that... No, no. You didn't
let us finish our job.
That man was not guilty.
We were ready to say it,
but you all knew better.
So why the heck were we even there?
I swear to God, if I am ever
in trouble with the law,
I hope I don't end up
in your courtroom...
Your Honor.
Mr. Futrell... uh... thank you.
You are excused.
I'm so sorry.
We will reconvene on the record
after Ms. Lopez
has had a chance
to confer with her client.
Obviously, she and Mr. Parson
will need to determine
how they wish to proceed.
♪♪
Thanks for getting here so quickly.
Hey, I was gonna check in
with, uh, probation today.
- Is that why?
- No, Leon, no. That's not why.
I dropped Levi off this morning.
His teacher came out to apologize
that I can't tutor online anymore.
The strict no-felon policy.
So that didn't take long.
Leon, I, uh...
[TELEPHONE RINGING]
The judge in your case, Lola Carmichael,
she brought it to our attention
that the jury in your trial...
The jury was gonna find you not guilty.
Her clerk found the jury form
after the plea deal was completed,
and the jury was dismissed.
The jury found me not guilty?
We need to make a motion
to withdraw your guilty plea.
If the motion is granted,
the D.A. will have to decide
whether to retry your case.
If they decide not to, then it's over.
But if they decide to retry,
then we have another chance to prove
that you were defending yourself.
And put my family through it
all over again?
Why did I even... Why did you...
Because even the judge thought
that jury was gonna convict.
I know that. Even I had my doubts.
It felt like the jury
was gonna find me guilty,
but that judge...
Wasn't it her job
not to have an opinion,
not to push me into...
Man, I lied in court,
in front of my family.
I told... I admitted...
That judge made me admit
that I was guilty of things I didn't do.
I know this is unusual,
but I think I can
get that plea withdrawn.
[SIGHS]
Ms. Lopez, I want my good name back.
And then I wanna make sure
Judge Lola Carmichael
never does this to anyone ever again.
♪♪
[HORN BLARES]
♪♪
Um...
I need to, um, speak with my daughter.
Judge Carmichael
isn't available right now.
It's about the Leon Parson's case.
Perhaps you can offer some
other times that might work.
- Fine. You wanna pull up a calendar?
- Yes.
I think she has an availability
on Tuesday at : .
Oh! No, no, no, no, no. Oh, oh.
- Mrs. Robinson...
- Where is she?
Uh... [SIGHS] I have no idea.
Huh.
Roxy.
[GASPS]
How lovely. Let's talk.
Your Honor. [SIGHS]
It was straight up carjack
and they stabbed you first.
That's what the detectives
think happened.
- And you believe 'em?
- That's not why I called...
These carjackers...
They didn't touch your car?
- [SIGHS] No.
- So someone's sending you a message.
Omar, you're about
to get a lot of attention,
and I just wanted to...
And Rashel gets to surrender,
and no perp walk for our man, right?
I'm gonna be with you
every step of the way,
but given the volatility of the case,
you may need to look
for somewhere else to stay.
Oh, in case someone wants
to send me a message?
Just wanna make sure you feel secure.
Do you have anywhere to go that's not...
You mean like, I don't know,
like one of those
wheelchair-accessible safehouses
I keep hearing so much about?
[TELEPHONE RINGING IN DISTANCE]
McCarthy and Cuthbert?
What the hell are they doing here?
And they are?
A union heavy and union lawyer
from the Sheriff's...
Uh, excuse me.
♪♪
Leon Parson was found not guilty,
and his little girl Jillian has jumped
- all over social media.
- Roxy...
That community is up, they are angry,
and there is even talk about
voting Lola off the bench
in the next election.
- I know. I saw that.
- I tried calling her.
You have done such
a great job, Roxy, with Lola.
She's... amazing, and God.
[CHUCKLES] I'm a mother,
and we always wanna help
our kids, right?
What are we talking about now?
As mothers, I don't know if our presence
is always needed.
Our presence? Okay.
I think Lola needs to spend
less time thinking about you
and whether you respect her,
and she needs to be
more focused on the job
that she's been entrusted with.
- Oh, you do, do you?
- I do,
and I'm here with my decades
of legal knowledge
and experience to help her
if she needs any help.
Did you just check me
on my mothering skills?
Because I don't think
you wanna go there.
I came here to support my daughter.
I understand,
and we will make sure
that she knows that.
Have a good day.
[DOOR CLOSES]
How do they get to show up unannounced
and just demand a meeting?
[BEEPS, LINE CLICKS]
- Okay, Mr. Bravo, you're on.
- Mark, how you feeling?
- Sir, there's a leak in the office.
- Wait, hold on.
First things first. Things got
a little woolly this morning?
I wanna know how you're doing.
- Um... good.
- Good. I'll take that.
Okay, Mark, change of plans.
I met with the team,
and they all thought it
best and respectful
to give everyone on the other
side a heads up in advance.
We offered Rashel's
union-supplied lawyer,
Corrine Cuthbert,
a chance to rebut the charges.
Before we go to the Grand Jury.
You want me to preview
my evidence to the defense?
So we can hear what they come back with.
You're a fan of transparency,
aren't you, Mark?
And Deputy McCarthy...
What's he doing here?
The Sheriff if he'd
be allowed to sit in.
A courtesy.
Thomas, is Mark still in the room?
He is... but not sure for how long.
It's a good idea, sir.
How about we give Deputy Rashel
a chance to be interviewed
on the record before charge him?
If he declines, Cuthbert
doesn't get to hear our case
till the rest of the world does.
- It's worth thinking about, sir.
- Yeah, no, let's stick with my plan.
Thomas, maybe you could
find Mark an empty courtroom.
Sure.
Sure, give everyone
a chance to spread out.
- I'll let you know how it goes, sir.
- [TELEPHONE BEEPS]
♪♪
Your mother's here.
How is Sherri dealing with it?
Okay, um, Judge Benner backstopped.
Benner backstopped. Ooh.
Roxy's gonna love that.
I'm not mad at you, Ness.
What's your relationship
with your mom if it's not too...
Ugh. I'm an alien to her.
I mean, she's... never stopped me.
She just kind of loves me in this, like,
"I don't know where
you came from" kind of way.
Roxy always thinks she knows
better about everything.
I keep meaning to set those boundaries,
but I can't face it today.
I thought when juries came back,
that I would be happy to let
them decide for a change,
but then when I thought
they were going the wrong way,
I just couldn't help myself.
I had to get my hands in there
and mess around.
Sounds like it runs in the family.
Um, that wasn't, um...
I know.
But why didn't you?
I mean, you could have thrown it away,
and nobody would have known.
Why didn't you throw it away?
Well, I didn't feel like
my decision to make.
- And?
- And it didn't feel right.
It felt important not to throw it away.
♪♪
Deputy Sheriff Rashel's
original sworn statement
claims he was feet from Omar Aziz
and that Mr. Aziz was
brandishing a w*apon.
As you can see, Mr. Aziz's hands are up.
He's at least feet off, backing away,
and there is no w*apon.
Love, love, love to know
where those photos came from.
They were taken from
a private security camera
outside one of the apartments.
And you don't think that's going
to get laughed out of court.
- A little respect, Corinne.
- Either the cameras were removed
before the investigator arrived,
or their existence was concealed.
I love it when a D.A.
shows up suddenly years later
with magically found footage
of an alleged misconduct
by an officer.
It's particularly enjoyable
when the source, my best guess,
is a drug dealing resident
of the building
who jerry-rigged
his own surveillance camera
and then claimed that it was
a business expense.
Have you found said
drug-dealing resident?
Still looking? Or are they in jail?
Agreeing to testify in exchange
for early release.
If you're trying to get us to not file,
Corinne, you're wasting your breath.
The District Attorney's committed
- to seeing this through.
- Attempted m*rder.
If Bravo signed off on that,
we would not be sitting here.
Let's talk about Omar Aziz.
What if I told you that his
barbershop wasn't just cutting hair?
So we're investigating Omar Aziz now?
I would love, love, love
to see that evidence.
You'll see the evidence
when we're ready to show it.
- Can't wait, Wayne.
- I wonder, Mr. Callan,
if your dad had anything to do
with securing
- this so-called evidence.
- Excuse me?
Victor Callan is very well known
to the police department.
In fact, I was surprised that Mr. Bravo
entrusted such a sensitive case
to such a potentially
compromised attorney.
At what point do I get to walk out, sir?
- I think we're there.
- Oh, goody. Are we leaving?
I sincerely appreciate
this time, today, gentlemen,
and I will get back to my client.
Say hello to Judge Carmichael for us.
I hear you're close. Makes sense.
Borderline inappropriate
relationship with a judge
who is well known for her bias
against law enforcement?
My daughter till has
that viral video on her phone.
Drives me crazy.
♪♪
Maggie Palmer will not budge.
She is gonna object
if I move to withdraw Leon's plea,
which leaves me...
I'm sorry. I shouldn't be
talking to you about this
because, you know,
you're in the same office.
Em, I'm here, okay? Let's just talk.
I don't think that I have
any other choice
but to go on the record with
strong, unambiguous reasons
for the Court of Appeal to grant
a Habeas Corpus petition.
Because when Maggie objects,
Judge Carmichael
- might refuse to throw out the plea.
- Right, yes.
- But she won't. She wouldn't.
- But she might. She could,
and I need to make a strong
record in case I need to appeal,
which means I need to att*ck
her judicial performance.
att*ck? No. I don't think
- you need to att*ck...
- I have to.
You're trying to keep
your client out of jail.
Her intentions were...
Will not help Leon.
The man has a felony record.
She pressured us
into a plea at the th hour.
- You negotiated that deal.
- Yeah. Yes, yes. I know...
I know that. But Leon d...
We need grounds for a writ
in case Lola denies the motion.
Well, let him use Ineffective
Assistance of Counsel.
- Wow.
- No, I... I...
- That's... Okay.
- It's not that I'm saying that you...
Wow, that's exactly what you're saying.
No, I'm saying that Judge Carmichael
is the most fair,
most progressive judge in the county,
and you don't wanna help people
- bring her down by saying...
- You know, my responsibility
is to do what is right
for my client, not for Lola.
- I know that.
- It's not like I wanna do it.
I know.
You left this at my house, like...
Like, months ago, and I... I've been...
I've been meaning
to give it back to you,
but... but then the lockdown happened,
- and then...
- And then we broke up,
and then...
How's Joaquin? You guys good?
He's great.
We're great.
Keep the t-shirt.
You love it. You look great in it.
No, I, uh...
I think you should take it.
Thank you for listening.
♪♪
[HELICOPTER WHIRRING]
♪♪
[TELEPHONE RINGING IN DISTANCE]
[EXHALES DEEPLY]
[EXHALING DEEPLY]
[DOOR SQUEAKS]
You got stabbed, and you don't call me?
I have to hear about it from my clerk?
It was a scratch, and you've got
enough to worry about.
Amy thinks it's a conspiracy,
that I was targeted.
Amy's been watching too much Netflix.
- [HORNS HONKING IN DISTANCE]
- [MOANS] I miss coffee.
I miss coffee so much.
When Cuthbert brought you up,
our relationship,
I thought, "I don't want
this to infect you."
You've got enough to deal with.
Please, she can't touch me, Mark.
I have nothing to do with this case.
Don't blink now, Mark.
- How you doing? How's things?
- Louis Bravo has got an ego,
so don't get all chippy with him, Mark.
He is a D.A. staring down the barrel
of an angry sheriff and the union.
Now you got him to come this far.
Don't lose him now.
Omar Aziz comes first.
You don't wanna talk
about your thing, do you?
No! Not while you get to drink coffee,
and I'm all hot water
and lemon over here. No.
How's it going? I'm hearing things.
As a prosecutor, I always saw juries
as potential allies that I could
win over with the facts.
And your wit and charm.
And as a judge up there...
- High on power.
- No, Mark. Stop.
It's not the power.
It is the lack of power.
Watching lawyers screw up closings,
and witnesses contradicting themselves
and defendants being subject
to badly written laws...
If you had heard the jury question...
Lo, you can't just drag
a jury out behind the woodshed
and sh**t 'em because you think
that they weren't gonna...
- That is not what I did.
- Well, that's exactly what you did.
I did not do that.
Because I couldn't see
a rational explanation
for why they were gonna return
- a guilty verdict.
- And you were wrong.
With everything that has
happened this last year, Mark...
COVID, the protests, the election,
I am struggling.
I am really struggling
with being a referee
when some days all I wanna
do is get into the game.
Lo...
I gotta go.
♪♪
[TELEPHONE RINGING IN DISTANCE]
This your motto?
Can't score if you don't...
...don't take the sh*t.
Not a motto. A reminder.
- Play hockey?
- Tennis guy.
[CLATTER]
Cuthbert's right.
I don't know where these
pictures came from, Mark,
and neither do you.
And someone we don't know
set this in motion.
Can we trust them?
Or are they... Are they setting us up?
Now if we had the original video,
I'd feel much better about this,
- and so would a jury.
- So it worked.
Their strategy worked.
You're not gonna file.
Before you go, sir,
maybe we can hop on the phone,
call Omar Aziz, let him know
it's not gonna happen.
You know what? I'll do it myself.
It'll be quick. He won't be surprised.
- He won't be surprised.
- No. No one will be.
[RINGING CONTINUES,
INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
- Who are you?
- August Fox.
Mr. Driscoll rescheduled
yesterday's meeting with him
for today but isn't in yet.
Would you mind taking Mr. Fox
down to the Gavel and Go?
I'm sure he'd be much more
comfortable waiting down there.
Sure. Mr. Fox,
I'm Luke Watkins, officially.
Pleasure to meet you.
♪♪
Ms. Lopez, do you have a motion?
Yes, Your Honor. The defense...
- Speak up, Ms. Lopez.
- Yes, Your Honor.
[LOUDLY] "The defense moves to withdraw
"Leon Parson's guilty plea
to as*ault with a firearm
"on the grounds that
the court's misuse of its power
"and over active engagement
in plea negotiations,
"while well-intentioned,
not only invaded
"the province of the jury
but also coerced my client
"into pleading guilty to a crime
he did not commit.
"That invasion, that coercion
goes beyond good cause.
"The court, in fact, abused its power.
"All members of that jury
"unanimously returned
the verdict of not guilty.
"Due process demands
that this motion be granted.
"Leon Parson must be allowed
to withdraw his plea
and correct this miscarriage
of justice."
Yeah. Let's take a recess,
after which I would like
to see counsel in my chambers.
[GAVEL BANGS]
Well done on that motion.
Couldn't have said it better myself.
Bite me, Maggie.
You, sit.
You, follow me.
Judge Carmichael has been there
for you at every turn.
- I know.
- And I am not taking about personally.
The restraining order. I'm talking a...
And you repay her respect with
what you just said in court?
I was doing my job, Sherri.
None of this would be happening.
She was under no obligation
to reveal that verdict.
She did so in the interest of justice
and at great cost
to herself professionally.
That's all.
[FOOTSTEPS DEPART]
It's been a minute since I spent
any time around here.
Put my time in up in San Fran H.O.J.
Prosecutor. But I had to get out.
- Why's that?
- Got fired.
Okay, then I'll let
Mr. Driscoll know where you are.
I've been waiting to talk
to Mr. Driscoll
about one of his former cases...
Young man breached probation,
faces years of prison now.
You know the probation-violating crime?
Shoplifting.
You want EZ to ask the judge
to revise the terms?
So a -year-old doesn't
get locked up until he's
for stealing three bottles of Ibuprofen?
Yeah. Don't you think
a do-over's in order, Luke?
Sounds like it.
I work in the field
of restorative justice.
Progressive prosecution.
I work with the harmed
and the harm doers
to find a path towards...
You gotta... You gotta go back to work.
Actually, uh... I-I have time.
Then there's something you should see.
Could change your life.
More importantly, it could
change other people's lives.
[BALL BOUNCING]
[KNOCK ON DOOR]
Come on in.
Ms. Palmer.
Ms. Lopez.
I won't take up too much of your time.
- Is this gonna be on the record?
- [DOOR CLOSES]
It is not. I thought it might be
worthwhile to clear the air
- before we head back into court.
- Your Honor, can I...
I'd like to...
Ms. Lopez, you had a job to do.
You needed to make a record,
and you did.
Oh, I-I still... I'm sorry.
Are we gonna have a sleepover?
Because I forgot my jammies.
By the way, nice ball.
- I wasn't bouncing, was I?
- No, I didn't see. I... No.
I wanted you both to know
that I plan to grant
Ms. Lopez' motion, at which point
the People will need to decide
how they wish to proceed.
You may try the case or...
[EXHALES DEEPLY]
- Ms. Palmer...
- Thank you, Your Honor.
- Are we...
- Yes, Ms. Palmer, you may go.
You both can go.
[DOOR OPENS]
[DOG BARKING IN DISTANCE]
[KEYS JANGLING]
- Need some help?
- You got another package.
Open it. I'll be right back.
♪♪
[SIREN WAILING, HORN HONKS]
BAILIFF: All rise.
You may be seated.
[EXHALES DEEPLY]
The defense motion to withdraw
Mr. Parson's plea is granted.
The judgment and conviction
in this matter are vacated.
Ms. Palmer, what is your position?
How do the People wish to proceed?
Your Honor, the People are...
...unable to proceed.
[LAUGHTER]
Yes! Yes! [LAUGHS]
[LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE]
- [GAVEL BANGS]
- Quiet, please.
- [GAVEL CLATTERS]
- We're not done yet.
Mr. Parson, please stand.
I would like to...
personally, formally,
and unreservedly apologize.
Good intentions do not always
lead to a positive impact,
and I recognize now
more than ever how easily
our system of justice
can damage one's life, a family,
even when everyone involved
has the very best intentions.
But as deeply as flawed
as our system is,
and how difficult this case
has been on you
and your family, especially,
I remain resolute that justice
is possible.
We all just have to remain vigilant,
learn from our mistakes,
and keep the faith.
I certainly vow to do so.
This case is dismissed.
Mr. Parson, you are free to go.
[GAVEL BANGS]
- WOMAN: Oh!
- [LAUGHTER]
MAN: Okay, Deputy, looks good.
And voilà, a VHS tape appears.
It was always there, Corinne.
It's just that now I have it,
can show it to a jury.
Tells the whole story.
Love, love,
love to know where that tape came from.
Nice that the whole family
showed up for the surrender.
Shame they can't go inside.
You know, COVID rules.
Peter Rashel puts his life
at risk every single day
he goes to work, as do all
of these men and women.
- They're honoring the sacrifice.
- Save it for trial, Corinne.
That's so cute.
You think it's gonna make it
past the Grand Jury.
[DOORS CLOSE]
♪♪
[CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING]
♪♪
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
- ...works in mysterious ways.
- Get on outta here.
- Be careful what you wish for.
- Pardon?
What you said before the break
about me speaking up more.
I will. I plan to.
Okay.
I will speak the truth,
even if you don't wanna hear it
or whoever doesn't wanna hear it.
So fair warning.
That is what I wanted to say.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry for
coming on too strong
before the Christmas party.
It was stupid.
- Yeah, it was.
- I know.
I know.
Your head's been in your work
and in your own life,
and you haven't been paying attention.
I know, to my friends
and my family... to you.
Thank you. Be it resolved.
[SIGHS] Okay.
Seriously, I'm...
I'm really, really sorry.
- On a scale of to ,
- And where's your...
I'm like a and / .
You really should have gone further.
- I could have used at least a .
- Okay, okay, okay.
[KNOCK ON DOOR]
No, no, no. Stay, stay.
I have something I wanna say,
and, uh... [SIGHS]
I need you to listen.
As a judge, as a woman,
and as my daughter, I'm so proud of you.
You stand for justice,
and you belong here.
Okay. Your turn.
You wanna hear about the birth plan?
You push and you pray.
That's your birth plan.
[LAUGHTER]
But you know what
we should be talking about,
are your stress levels.
- Oh, don't start.
- I'm not starting.
I'm just stating facts.
This job, the stress...
Your cortisol levels are probably up.
Mama, look, I have a yoga ball chair.
Anytime I feel stressed, I just bounce,
up, down, up, down.
It all just melts away.
That's a toy. And I'm being serious.
I know you are, and I appreciate it.
I do. But can we first
set some ground rules,
talk about some of those
boundaries we discussed?
Let's set some now. You ready?
You can't come into
my courtroom anymore, Mama.
It is not a school play, and there are,
I'm sure, other people in this building
who could use the NAACP's help.
But it's a public space, daughter.
It doesn't look like that
to some people.
When you and I are both in there,
you have to understand those optics.
Agreed.
And no sneaking my child off
to any demonstrations
or marches without my knowing,
or against her will.
[GASPS] It's a girl!
He will have a mind of his own.
I will make sure of that.
Be careful what you wish for.
Anything else?
Sunday dinners.
We'll start as soon as it's safe,
but I want this little one
to see you and Daddy
and Robin every week,
all around the same table.
I don't care how busy we are.
Agreed.
♪♪
Anything else tonight?
Go away, both of you.
Robin is already home,
and I can't wait to just
fall in his arms.
Just got a couple things
to clean off my desk.
- [CLEARS THROAT]
- That's an order.
This is not, Your Honor,
a paramilitary organization.
- You wanna bet?
- Ness, go home.
- I will if you will.
- She's insufferable, Your Honor.
- Can we send her back?
- Good night.
[KAT MEOZ' "BACK FOR MORE" PLAYING]
♪ It wasn't anybody's call ♪
♪ We're gonna fight for it all ♪
♪ Fight for it all ♪
♪ It's the bait and switch,
makin' poor men rich ♪
♪ The writing on the wall
that makes you wanna split ♪
♪ Gettin' mine,
I'm coming back for more ♪
♪ Bet your life
I'm coming back for more ♪
♪ Ridin' high,
I'm coming back for more ♪
- You're awesome.
- Thank you. Why?
The way you got all Mama Bear
with Emily Lopez.
Not to be repeated or shared. Yes?
Got it, and I am...
And I'm sorry for what happened
on your walk the other day.
I overheard you talking to Sara.
- It happens.
- Um, it shouldn't happen.
It should never happen.
The term "Mama Bear"
sounds funny coming from you.
I don't know why.
Please don't use it again.
When confronted with random injustice,
my first thought is to imagine
how Sister Knight might
handle the situation.
And then I think of the mess,
and I don't handle mess well.
[CHUCKLES]
Oh, hi. You're still here. Good.
There has been a slight change
of plans...
Oh, no. No, no. No, no, no, no, no, no.
Hell, yeah. Baby's coming home early.
- We're having a baby.
- Your water broke?
- We're having a baby!
- Let me grab the...
- Baby.
- Baby.
♪ I'm coming back for more ♪