08x14 - God Is My Co-Counsel

[bunniefuu]

- Can I look now?

- No, not yet.

- Please.

- OK, now you can look.

- Oh, you got 'em!

- I stopped on the way to work this morning.

- Oh, wait.

We should do that before we're married?

- Oh.

Well, we have to see if they fit.

- Right.

[giggling]

[vocalizing]

Oh, the judge, he faxed me the wedding vows.

So if you want, we could practice before Saturday.

- Wow.

Gah.

Those are a lot of words.

- Yeah.

- Last time, I just said I do.

- What do you mean?

- Well, when I got married before, we just said I do.

- You got married before?

- I told you that, Benny.

Didn't I?

- No.

- I thought I did.

I guess I didn't.

But it doesn't matter now.

It was a long time ago.

- How long were you married?

- About three days.

Then-- then my parents found out,

and I haven't seen him much after that.

Did your parents make you get a divorce?

- We didn't tell them we got married.

- How did you get a divorce?

- I guess we didn't.

Do you think that that will be a problem?

[theme music]

- Rosalie forgot to mention she was married?

- Yeah.

She was in high school.

She and another Ret*rded kid ran away to Reno.

They got married, lived in a motel for a few days.

Neither one of them told their parents about the wedding,

so Rosalie figured since they didn't really live together,

they weren't really married.

- How you get a divorce finalized by Saturday?

- I'm not going for a divorce.

I'm going for an annulment.

They were both underage, neither one had parental consent.

All I have to do is get the husband

to sign a declaration to that effect, walk it past a judge.

No big deal. - Well, I hope you're right.

Let's get started.

- Joyce versus Westland City School,

Board wrongful termination.

- That's mine.

Michael Joyce is a high school biology teacher.

School board fired him for including

a discussion of creation science in a senior honors biology

class. - Good.

Let's continue. Alvarez versus national--

- Wait a minute. Wait a minute.

I'd like to hear a little bit more about Jane's case

if you don't mind. - What would you like to know?

- Tell me that we're representing the school board.

- No, we're not.

We're representing Michael Joyce.

- Why?

- That's who approached us.

- Well, he didn't exactly approach us, Leland.

- Well, that's right.

He approached Jane, Jane came to me, and I approved.

- Wait a minute, Jane, this guy teaches

creationism in public schools?

- In a biology class no less.

- He teaches both evolution and creationism

in a curriculum designed to permit the students

to make up their own minds.

- So now we are opposed to the separation of church and state.

Is that right?

We are lining up against the First Amendment.

- I don't believe what Michael did was violative

of the First Amendment.

- Leland, at the very minimum, should this not

have been discussed among the partners

prior to taking the case?

- I wasn't aware that we had to be in ideological agreement

with every client we represent.

- With all due respect, Leland, I think

that's a little disingenuous.

This isn't your garden variety adversarial contest.

This dispute is entirely ideological.

- Yes, it is, and there are attorneys

here with differing ideological as

well as religious persuasions.

I don't think that Michael Joyce deserved

to be fired for teaching his students that one

explanation for how the world came into being

was that God created it.

- Nor do I.

- Oh, nor do you.

And are you gonna favor us with a biblical citation

to that effect. - No, I'm not.

I'm simply going to say that each one of us

at different times has represented clients or causes

that others have found odious.

- That's not the point.

- This young woman is entitled to the same latitude

now that we've afforded each other in the past.

And as far as biblical citations, Stuart,

I believe that which is writ large in the Book of Job,

chapter .

The spirit of God hath made me.

The breath of the Almighty hath given me life.

[groaning]

Thank you.

- With that, it is done.

[chatter]

- Jane, don't hesitate to let me know if you

need any help with this case.

- Oh my God.

[chatter]

Dad.

- Hi, baby.

What are you doing here?

- I came to see the trial.

- Why didn't you call me and tell me that you were coming?

- Because you have enough on your mind

without worrying about me.

- Arnold, this is my father Reverend Halliday.

Arnold Becker.

- How do you do, Mr. Becker.

Very nice to meet you.

- Likewise, Reverend.

I'm sure I don't have to tell you

your daughter is a great pleasure to have around.

- No, you don't. Mr, Becker.

If it'd been up to me, she'd never left Oklahoma.

- Well, I have to get to court.

- Reverend, maybe the three of us

can go out and have lunch while you're in town.

- Oh, I don't think so. - By all means.

- How about tomorrow.

- Oh, tomorrow I have to come back

here and have lunch at my desk.

- We could join you.

- No, no, I have to work.

- Well, Reverend, you and I should go out then.

- Get me a tuna sandwich on rye and I'll be here at :.

Shall we go?

- Nice to meet you.

- Bye bye.

- What sort of academic credentials do you have,

Dr. Joyce?

- I have a PhD in biology.

My thesis was an evolutionary theory.

- And how long have you been teaching

biology at Westland High?

- Nine years.

- In that time, what kind of evaluations

have you gotten from your supervisors.

- Only good ones.

In fact, last year, I was offered

a promotion to an administrative position, which I declined.

- Why did you decline?

Because I love to teach.

That's all I've ever wanted to do.

- In your discussions of the origins of life on Earth

in your senior honors science class,

did you teach your students about evolution.

- Absolutely.

- Did you teach it as the dominant scientific theory

regarding the origin of life?

- Yes, I did.

- Did you also teach your students

the theory of creation science?

- Yes, I did.

- Why did you do so?

- Because creation science is another explanation

for the origins of life.

- What, if anything, did the school board do in response?

- They instructed me to cease and desist

to teach anything to do with creationism in my classroom.

- Did you comply?

- No, I did not.

- Why didn't you?

- Because as a teacher, I believe in the right to explore

alternative theories.

I want my students to challenge and question and analyze.

I want them to learn to think for themselves

and not just absorb information.

And I'm doing what I'm doing because I believe it's right.

And as far as I'm concerned, that--

that is the most important lesson I can teach them.

- Thank you.

I have no further questions.

- Are you a Christian, Dr. Joyce?

- Objection, irrelevant.

- We're trying to determine whether this man is

teaching science or religion.

His own religious beliefs are relevant.

- It's what he does, not what he believes that's relevant.

Objection is sustained.

Did you ever make your students aware

of your religious beliefs, sir.

- I never hid it from them.

I also never took class time to discuss them.

- Did you talk about them other than during class time?

- Objection, irrelevant.

- Your honor, the way in which his students perceived

this man is directly relevant.

- Objection overruled.

Witness may answer.

- Sir?

- I ran a Bible study class on weekends.

Some of my high school students attended.

- So it's fair to say is it not that the students

in your biology class knew that you yourself were a Christian?

- Is that bad?

- Ask that the witness be instructed

to answer the question.

- Yes, they knew I was a Christian.

- They knew, did they not, that to you creationism

was not just another theory?

Creationism was the way it happened.

Creationism was the word of God?

- That is not what I teach. - Objection, badgering.

- My religious beliefs do not dictate

what I do in my science class.

What I taught my students was appropriate curriculum for

biology students to be taught.

- Did not your principal inform you that is was, in fact,

inappropriate-- - Yes.

- That the curriculum was not to include the teaching

of creation science?

- Yes, he did.

- You went right on teaching it. - Yes!

- Thank you.

Nothing further, your honor.

- What are you all so afraid of?

- You may step down, Mr. Joyce.

- Well, what is so threatening about a teacher

uttering the name of God.

- Mr. Joyce--

- Let me walk you through this, Tim.

I've prepared the papers.

Once you and Rosalie sign the papers,

I'll file them with the court, and it'll be as though you

two were never married.

- It's as easy as that.

- An annulment is quicker than a divorce.

It's simpler.

It's also way cheaper.

- Yeah, plus it'll let them get married on Saturday?

- Right.

- Are you gonna invite me to the wedding?

- No.

- You wanna come?

- Maybe I do.

- Naturally, you are free to hire an attorney although this

is all pretty straightforward.

Why don't you read it over.

If you have any questions, I'll explain it.

If you want to, you could take it home

and show it to someone else.

You can do that, too.

The only thing I ask is that we get this done by tomorrow.

- How come you never called me back, Rosalie?

- I don't know.

It was a long, long time ago.

I don't remember.

- I called you every day for two weeks,

and you never returned my call.

- My mom didn't want me to.

- You always do what your mom wants?

- No.

- Then why didn't you call back?

- Arnie.

- Might I suggest that we stick to the here and now.

- First, you walked out on me, then you ignored me.

Now you call me after all this time

to sign this paper so you can marry somebody else?

- Tim, we're all men of the world here.

We've all loved and lost.

Admittedly, it's no fun, but when the game is over--

and the game is over here--

it's time to sign the papers and move on.

- Do you still have those blue cowboy boots?

- No.

- I loved the way you looked in them.

I remember you wore them on the bus to Reno.

- What are you gonna do?

Are you gonna sign the paper or not?

- Not.

- Tim, we're supposed to get married on Saturday.

- You can not prevent them from getting married, Tim.

Eventually, we will get an annulment or a divorce

whether you agree to it or not, and Rosalie

will be free to marry whoever she wants.

- Well, maybe she'll change her mind by then

and decide to stay married to me.

[music playing]

[chatter]

- Coming through.

Watch yourself.

- Hey, Tim.

- You can't come back here.

- I told you boss I'd only keep you a minute.

Why don't you come over here?

Listen, I think we may have all gotten a little carried

away by emotion yesterday.

What do you think?

- I don't know.

What are you talking about?

- I thought I owed it to you to come by here

and make sure you understand the realities of the situation.

- Rosie and me are still married.

That's reality.

- Well, as far as it goes, yes, but she wants to marry Benny

and you can't stop her from divorcing you.

- You said divorce could take a year.

- It can, but so what?

In the end, you still won't be married anymore.

- Maybe, yes.

Maybe, no.

- Tim, there's also the possibility

of a criminal investigation.

- What do you mean?

- Taking a minor across state lines is a crime.

Encouraging her to lie about her age

on a marriage license, sex with a minor,

that could be statutory r*pe.

- Wait, did Rosie say I r*ped her?

- It doesn't matter what she says.

She was under .

- How many of these you want?

- You know what, I think you're trying to scare

me so I'll signed the paper.

- I just want you to understand what might happen.

That's all I'm doing here, Tim.

- I'm not gonna sign the paper.

I don't care what you do.

- Get a manager over here.

- Tracy, could you tell the court how you know Mr. Joyce?

- I was in his senior honors science class.

- Approximately, how much of that class

would you say was spent discussing the origins of life.

- Out of the -week semester, I'd say we

spent about three weeks on it.

- And what did you talk about during those discussions?

- We talked about evolution theory,

and we talked about creation science theory.

And then we discussed the strengths

and weaknesses of both.

- Did Mr. Joyce encourage debate among the students

on those ideas?

- Oh, absolutely.

More than half our grade depended

on class participation.

- Did Mr. Joyce ever tell you that evolution was wrong

and creation science was right?

- No.

- What did you believe in before you

took Mr. Joyce's class, Tracy?

- I believed in evolution.

- And what do you believe in now?

- Evolution.

I've questioned it on occasion, but I

still believe that's probably how life on Earth

came into being.

- I have nothing further.

- Tracy, when Mr. Joyce taught creationism,

did he do so critically?

- I'm not sure I know what you mean.

- Did he place it in any historical context?

Did he mention, for example, the scientific impossibility

of the world coming into being in six days?

- He said there were things in both evolution theory

and creation science theory that don't have

scientific explanations yet.

- Did Mr. Joyce give as much credibility

to creationism as he did to evolution?

- Yes.

- Were there any students who objected to that?

- Objection.

Calls for hearsay.

- I'll allow it.

- Tracy?

- Yes, there are students who objected.

- And how did Mr. Joyce respond to those objections?

- He said any students who felt uncomfortable

could go to the library.

- Anyone take him up on that?

- No.

- Why do you suppose that is?

- Objection.

Calls for the witness to testify to the operation

of another person's mind.

- I am asking the witness for an opinion

about her peers, your honor.

- Objection is overruled.

Witness may answer.

- Tracy, why do you suppose no one left the class?

- I don't know.

Maybe it didn't seem so bad after all,

or maybe they wanted to be exposed

to a different point of view.

- Do you think it's possible they just didn't want

to stand out from their peers no matter

how uncomfortable they felt?

- Objection.

- Sustained.

- Do you like to stand out from your peers, Tracy?

- No.

- No.

Thank you.

I have nothing further.

- Witness may step down.

- Tell me that I'm dreaming.

- This is unbelievable.

- How could she make us wear these?

- Well, she's not exactly Coco Chanel, Denise.

- This is beyond not Chanel.

This is beyond Queens.

[knocking]

- Don't don't come in.

- Laugh and you're a dead man.

- Did Rosalie describe these ensembles to you beforehand?

- She told us she would order things

that we would wear again.

Excuse me, while I change.

- Well, it's-- it's not so bad.

- Are you kidding?

I feel like Little Bo Peep.

- It's a bridesmaid's outfit.

- I don't care, Stuart.

I don't wanna go out in public looking like this.

- It's no big deal.

- What do you mean?

- I mean that everybody will primarily

be looking at the bride anyway.

- Will you primarily be looking at the bride?

- No, but it doesn't matter to me what you're wearing.

- Uh huh.

- I said the wrong thing.

- Forget it.

- No.

It's not that I don't care what you're wearing.

It's that what you're wearing has no effect on me.

No.

What I mean is it doesn't change the way I think about you.

You know, I know that you're capable of looking good.

I mean, you do look good.

In that dress, you look good.

You know, not everybody could get away with wearing

a dress like that but you--

- Eli, I'm changing.

- Why are you changing it here?

- Because the ladies room's fully occupied.

Now can you please close the door.

Eli, close the door from the outside.

- Oh.

- I'll just be a minute, OK.

- Should I take my briefcase or leave my briefcase?

- Eli! - I'll leave my briefcase.

OK, I'm leaving.

- You know, I find that certain theological questions

come to mind periodically.

- Is that right?

- Well, I wonder about the nature of things--

sin, the revelation of God, Satan.

- The Bible has a good deal to say

on all those subjects, Arnold.

- I find myself thinking Thessalonian says one thing.

Obadiah says something else.

What's the story?

- Tell me something, Arnold.

Have you always been such a keen student of the Bible?

- No, sir, I haven't.

To tell you the truth, your daughter

is awakened in me a real hunger for spiritual direction.

- Look, I have to get some work done before I go back to court.

[knocking]

- Lunch is here.

You like meatball sandwiches?

- Excuse me?

- Place not far from here makes great meatball sandwiches.

I wanted to buy 'em from there.

Ben says you like this place, so we went there instead.

By the way, Dominic Nuzzi.

- How do you do.

- Dominic, this is Jane's father, Reverend Halliday.

- Reverend, how do you do?

- Fine.

Nice to meet you.

How's the plans for the wedding coming, Benny?

- Not so good.

- Hey, don't worry, Benno.

We'll get there.

- Be good, everybody.

Thank you.

- You know, I'm surprised Jane has never mentioned

you to her mother or me.

You seem to know each other very well.

- Not as well as I'd like to.

- Mr. Osborne, as president of the school board,

is it your policy that once you hire a teacher,

he or she can teach their students anything they want?

- No, it's not.

The curriculum for each area of study

is laid out by the State Board of Education.

If a teacher wants to augment that,

we look at the additional materials,

and then we make a determination as to whether or not

it's appropriate.

- I see.

And is creation science part of the established curriculum?

- No, it is not.

According to the State Board of Education,

creationism or creation science, if you will,

is a religious and not a scientific explanation

for the origins of life, and as such

it has no place in a public high school science class.

- But don't the students have the right to hear and discuss

a variety of points of view?

- In a science class, students have the right

to hear and discuss science.

Mr. Joyce, was not teaching science.

He was teaching religion.

- And in your opinion, was that alone sufficient grounds

for termination?

- Absolutely.

He'd been given numerous warnings

and willfully ignored them.

I think those grounds are eminently sufficient.

- I have nothing further.

- Mr. Osborne, are there circumstances

under which you deem the discussion of

religion permissible.

- Yes, there are.

In social studies class, literature class,

but not in a science class.

- Why not in a science class?

- Because when you teach biblical explanations

of historical events under the heading of science,

the tacit implication is that they are true.

- Is it possible, Mr. Osborne, that for some people,

they are true?

- What is true for some people does not constitute science.

- Are they true for you?

- I don't take the Bible literally, no.

- And you wanna make sure that nobody else does either.

- Objection.

- I wanna make sure we're not allowing a high school biology

class to be used to advance a fundamentalist Christian point

of view.

- Does a belief in the Bible make one

a fundamentalist Christian, Mr. Osborne?

- No.

I did not mean to suggest that it did.

- I have nothing further.

- Witness is excused.

- You want I should talk to him?

- What would you say to him?

- I'd straighten him out.

Don't worry about what I'd say.

- Arnie already talked to him.

He won't sign.

- Hey, Benny, all due respect, Arnie's a lawyer.

This situation calls for a different approach.

Arnie goes in with the briefcase, the big words.

I go in with a bing with a bang.

It's done.

- Hey, Benny, did Arnie give him to sign?

- No.

- What are we gonna do?

- I don't know.

- The place has been reserved.

We got the food and dresses.

Invitations have been sent.

- Plus the band.

I got a six-piece band coming.

- I gotta talk to you, Benny.

- What?

Oh, you want a little privacy.

Right.

Let me know if you want me to take care of it, Ben.

- I don't want you to be mad at me anymore.

Ever since I told you about that guy, you've been at me.

I don't want you to be mad at me anymore.

- Do you still love him?

- I never loved him.

- Then why did you marry him?

- I thought that would be fun.

Anyway, you had someone who you did love.

You told me that yourself.

- It's not the same.

I told you about her.

- Tim is not a secret.

I forgot about him.

I do that sometimes.

I forget about things.

- Maybe you'll forget about me.

- Oh, I could never forget about you.

[music playing]

I love you.

- So how do you gentlemen feel about your firm being placed

into service of Christ Jesus?

- Pretty good.

- Some of us.

- Our little girl may be the standard bearer,

but it's you people who are making it

possible for her to go forward.

- Daddy--

- Well, reverend, we have nothing

but the highest regard for your daughter.

She's done nothing but great work since she got here.

- When Jane told us she was going

to work as a lawyer in Los Angeles,

we said dear Jesus, give her the strength to keep

the devil under her feet.

Keep old slewfoot from snatching our little girl away.

And I can't tell you how happy we

are that she's living here and still

doing the work of the Lord.

- Dad, we need to get to court.

- I'll see you gentlemen at the wedding.

- You're going to the wedding?

- Benny asked me to officiate.

- Yikes.

- Well, there's goyim and there's goyim.

[chatter]

- Tim.

- Go away.

- I wanna talk to you.

- You can't scare me.

Your friend already tried.

- I'm not trying to scare you.

I just wanna talk to you.

- Come here.

What do you want?

- I want you to sign that paper.

- I don't want to.

I wanna marry Rosalie this Saturday.

- She's already married.

- She wants to be married to me.

- Oh, yeah, how come you're so great?

- I'm not so great.

- You think you're smarter than me?

- No.

- You think you're better me because you work in an office

and I work in a kitchen?

- No.

- Then how come you get to marry her?

How come you get everything you want?

- Because she loves me.

- She could love me, too.

She once did love me.

- That was a long time ago.

- I don't care.

I want a wife, too.

- You can have a wife.

It just can't be Rosalie.

- I-- I don't--

I don't know anybody else.

I gotta get back to work.

- Tim, would you--

would you please sign that paper.

- Would you please tell the court your occupation, sir.

I'm a research biologist and an advisor

on the science curriculum for the State Board of Education.

My specialty is origins of life theory.

- Now in your view, does the biblical explanation

for the origins of life qualify as science.

- No, it does not.

- Why does it not?

- In science, one bases one's conclusions

on scientific methodology, on empirical observation.

- Now how does this differ from creationism, doctor?

- Creationism starts with a conclusion

as set out in the Bible in Genesis then

goes about finding data and ways to interpret that data

to support the conclusion.

I think I'm safe in saying that the body

of scientific knowledge we, our civilization, draws on

does not support the notion that the world as we

know it was created in six days.

- No further questions.

- You believe in the theory of evolution.

Isn't that right, doctor?

- It isn't a theory, Miss Halliday.

It's an observable fact like the shape of the Earth,

the speed of light.

- Is the origin of the first life forms

found on Earth an observable fact?

- Not yet, no, but there are various theories

that seek to explain it.

- Is the development of DNA an observable fact.

- Not yet, no, but, again, there are a number of theories.

- But those are just theories, isn't that right, doctor.

- They are scientifically grounded,

but, yes, they are theories.

- That would lead one to conclude, would it not, doctor,

that there are things about the universe

that can't be explained with observable scientific facts.

- Not yet, no.

- So not yet but definitely not God.

- Miss Halliday, if we pointed to the existence of God

every time we came up against something

that we couldn't explain, we'd still

be living in the Dark Ages.

- Isn't part of not living in the Dark Ages

that we are free to consider a wide array

of ideas and beliefs?

- You can consider whatever you want, Miss Halliday.

What you can't do is place religious mythology

on the same pedestal as evolutionary science.

- In other words, you want the pedestal all to yourself.

- Objection.

- Nothing further.

- You're still brooding.

Why are you still brooding?

- I'm not brooding.

- Yeah, you are.

Ever since I said whatever it was I said about your dress,

you've been in a full on brood.

- It was a painful thing to hear, Stuart.

- Why?

You know that I still have desire for you, don't you?

- I guess I don't know it as much as I used to know it.

- Yeah, well, there's a lot of things that aren't

the way they used to be, huh.

- Like what else?

- Like one's desire doesn't come to the fore

as often as it used to.

We work hard all day.

We've got a kid at home.

We're tired.

Our stamina isn't what it used to be.

- I don't want to require stamina, Stuart.

I don't want our marriage to be something that we endure.

- Why do you read these vast gloomy passages in everything

I say?

There will be periods of time when the fire is out, yes,

but that doesn't mean I don't love you.

It doesn't mean I don't desire you.

It probably just means that I'm tired.

- Fine.

- And now she says fine.

And now she is not gonna let up on me because I haven't

demonstrated the requisite amount of sympathy or passion

or whatever the hell it is I'm supposed to demonstrate.

I'll tell you something, honey.

Demonstrations of passion are supposed

to arise spontaneously, and it doesn't help matters

that I live in fear of offending you all the time, that I think

you're gonna jump down my throat every time

I might make an inappropriate remark.

Think about that.

And think about what you might have done if the fire is

out to put it out.

- What do you want, Arnie?

- He said he wanted to see you.

- What do you want?

- I came to sign the paper.

- You did?

- Yeah.

I didn't do it because of you, and I didn't

do it because of you either.

I did it because of Rosalie.

- That's OK.

- But I want you to give this to her before the wedding.

- May I inquire as to what is in there?

- No.

And you can't look at what's inside there either.

You gotta promise not to look.

- Oh, OK.

- You also gotta promise that you'll give it to her.

- OK.

- So you promise?

- I promise.

- Where do I sign?

- Right there.

- You're getting married.

- Yeah.

- You may proceed with your closing, Ms. Halliday.

- Michael Joyce is a teacher.

His job was to prepare a group of students

to go out into the world, to educate them.

That's what he loved to do.

That's what he did.

What he refused to do was put blinders on his students,

to tell them to ask questions but only these questions,

to look for answers but don't look over there.

Don't even look over there.

When he didn't comply--

when he refused to narrow his students' vision, he was fired.

Michael Joyce is not the first to refuse

to be bound by convention, to refuse to adhere

to a set of ideas and beliefs held out to him

as the one and only truth.

That's what Galileo did, that's what Charles Darwin did,

and that is also what John Scopes did.

In Dayton, Tennessee, in , those in power

would permit only the teaching of creationism.

In Los Angeles, California, in , those in power

permit only the teaching of evolution.

In both cases, those in power have

sought to cut off the field of inquiry

and forcibly impose their view of the world

onto everyone else.

The greatest service that we can do Michael Joyce's students

is to permit them to make up their own minds.

We ask that you reinstate Michael

Joyce with full back pay and allow him to resume teaching.

- Michael Joyce's job was to teach science

to high school students.

When he signed his contract, he agreed

to an authorized curriculum, and he

agreed to follow the directives of his principal

and his school board.

He has not done either of those things.

Now the plaintiff contends that the authorized curriculum was

unreasonably narrow, that those directives

were without justification.

They're wrong, ladies and gentlemen.

The fact is that the United States

Constitution requires the separation of church and state.

Despite plaintiff's claims to the contrary,

what Michael Joyce did was in direct violation of that.

He was teaching religion as if it was science.

He was using his authority and his influence as a teacher

to propagate his religious views, and he can't do that.

Now it doesn't matter that his students want him to continue.

It doesn't matter that he himself is

utterly sincere in his beliefs.

What matters here is that a school board is upholding

its responsibility for keeping religious teachings out

of the public school because the First Amendment

requires them to.

I ask that you find for the defendant.

[chatter]

- They're coming out.

- Oh, there he is now.

- Mr. Joyce, any comments?

- Any comment on today's proceedings?

- No comments.

- Ms. Halliday, how do you respond to charges

that your client represents an encroachment

on public education by members of the religious right?

- I would categorically deny it.

- Are you in favor of the constitutional separation

of church and state?

- I would prefer to try my case in the courtroom

rather than the corridor.

- Ephesians tells us to put on the full armor of God

and take our stand against the devil's scheme.

- Are you connected to this case, sir?

- He's not. Come on, reverend.

Let's go.

- We have to be willing to speak the word of God

wherever we are, Jane.

My redeemer liveth.

This is what he commands me to do.

- George, I want you to start this right now?

- What is it you're so afraid of, doctor?

- I'm afraid of religious zealots like you, reverend.

- Praise God.

That must mean I'm doing my job.

- Dad--

- Whenever I see the power of Satan

lined up against me, whenever I see the eyes of school children

turned upward so that the truth be revealed

and that truth is not revealed and that truth is hidden

and perverted and denied, then I have only to turn to the nail

scarred hands of calvary for my strength and you, doctor--

- Now we're going to lead off with a miniature seared ahi,

then we go to the miniature lasagna

then the miniature panini and then the miniature bellini.

Now is everyone aware of that? - Yes, ma'am.

- Yes.

- Have you seen Rosalie?

- She's getting dressed.

- Where?

- Upstairs in the bedroom? Why?

- Oh, well, I'll have to give her something.

- Oh, no, Benny, that's not possible.

You're not permitted to see the bride before the wedding.

- It's a lot of dough, right?

- Dominic, how many times are you going to tell

me that you paid for the band?

- I wasn't aware I told you already.

- Hello, Denise. Don't you look wonderful.

- Thanks.

- Hello, Dominic.

- Hello.

- I can't see Rosalie before the wedding?

- Of course not.

It's bad luck.

- No.

- Would you give this to her?

- What is it?

- I don't know.

I promised Tim I'd get it to her before the wedding,

and I promised him I wouldn't look inside.

- I'll give it to her right now.

- I wonder what it is.

- It's in an envelope, so chances are it's a letter.

- You think it's a letter?

- What are you worried about, Benny?

- She's marrying you.

- They tell me I can't get a drink before the ceremony?

What is this? - They told me the same thing.

It's the mother.

- Arnie, you think I should have looked in that envelope?

- For what?

- I don't know, to see what he sent her.

- Benno, do yourself a favor.

Don't start looking under rocks.

You've got a past.

She's got a past.

You start delving into it, you're

only going to cause yourself a lot of unnecessary anguish.

- In other words, forget about it.

- Exactly.

- Meanwhile, have you seen the band?

- No. - I hired a six-piece band.

I haven't seen a musician one.

- Don't worry about what came before the wedding.

Start worrying about what comes after.

[chatter]

- Don't tell me you're never going to talk

to your old father again.

I'm sorry if I stepped on your toes yesterday--

- You're not the least bit sorry.

You saw the opportunity to preach, and you preached.

- Preaching's what I do, daughter.

I was put on this Earth so I would preach.

- And I was put on this Earth to be a lawyer.

- And from what I can see, you're

doing a fine job as a lawyer as well as being

a decent young Christian woman.

- Why wouldn't you stop yesterday when I asked you to?

Why did you embarrass me?

- Because some things are more important

than your embarrassment.

- This is where I work.

You showed up unannounced and uninvited

and proceeded to take over.

I left Oklahoma so you wouldn't be able to do that to me.

- Is that why you left?

- Among other reasons, yes.

- Could we talk about this?

- I'm due in court.

[chatter]

- Has the jury reached a verdict?

- We have, your honor?

- What say you?

- On the claim of wrongful termination,

we find for the defendant.

- The jury is dismissed with the thanks of the court.

- I'm sorry, Michael.

- We knew it was a long sh*t.

- We can appeal.

- I think I'd rather just teach someplace else,

maybe in a private school.

- God's been bragging on you, Michael.

I know you're not gonna walk away now.

- We have to go to a wedding, dad,

and this is something that Michael

needs to decide for himself.

I'll call you.

- Thank you.

- Why not?

Please.

- No, honey.

I just don't think it's a good idea that you open it now.

- But he asked me to.

- Well, he had no right to ask you to.

- Mom.

- All right, go ahead.

Open it.

What does it say?

- I love you then, and I love you now.

Tim.

- This is all I needed.

- Fran, why don't we--

would help me with this sleeve?

I'm having trouble here.

- Sure.

[chatter]

- You OK?

- Yeah.

- Benjamin, do you take Rosalie to be your wife,

to love and to cherish from this day forward for better

or for worse until death do you part?

- I do.

- And do you, Rosalie, take Benjamin to be your husband,

to love and to cherish from this day

forward for better or worse until death do you part?

- I do.

- The rings, please.

With this ring, I, thee, wed.

- With this ring, I, thee, wed.

- You're supposed to put on my finger.

- Oh.

With this ring, I, thee, wed.

- With-- with this ring, I, thee, wed.

- I now pronounce you husband and wife.

You may kiss the bride.

[chatter]

[applause]

- Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Stulwicz.

- About time, too.

- Hey, Benjamin.

- What is it about weddings?

- It's there monumentality.

- Is that what it is.

- Two people have transversed a seemingly impenetrable gulf,

found one another, fallen in love,

and changed their lives accordingly.

- It's amazing that it ever happens, isn't it?

- Yes, it is.

- You know, the wildest I've ever been was at a wedding.

- What do you mean by wild?

- Let's just say I did things I don't ordinarily do.

- What kind of things?

- Well, I drank a little too much, got carried away.

I took off with the best man, lost

several articles of clothing, you know, things like that.

- You've done this?

- Uh huh.

- Uh huh.

- Me, too.

Say, you still seeing that judge?

- Oh, yeah.

- Why didn't you bring her?

- I think there we're gonna be a few too

many lawyers here for her.

- Oh, hey, Jonathan.

- Tommy.

- Heard you became a partner.

Congratulations.

- Thanks.

- Well are congratulations in order?

- By all means.

[knocking]

- Hold-- hold on.

Occupied.

Hey, I-- I--

- Don't ever tell me the fire's out.

- Well, I was wondering what was in the envelope Tim sent you.

- It was a picture.

- What kind of picture?

- It's a picture of me and Tim.

- There was no letter in there?

- No, he just wrote something on the picture.

- Would you show it to me if I asked you to?

- Yes.

Are you asking me to?

- No.

- Rosalie and Benny Stulwicz.

Hey, Benny.

- What?

- How do you spell Stulwicz?

- S-T-U-L-W-I-C-Z.

- S-T-U-L--

- W-I-C-Z.

- W-I-C-Z!

[music playing]

- That's nice.

- The band get here?

- I don't know, Dominic.

- I can't find 'em anywhere.

- Oh.

- Denise, sometimes I look at you,

and I think you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.

- Eli.

- I don't think it a lot.

I don't allow myself to think it a lot.

We've known each other for a long time.

We work together. We're friends.

We've never been anything other than friends.

- And every now and then the thought crosses your

mind, right.

It's OK.

Crosses mine, too.

- It's an impulse though, isn't it?

Everyone has impulses.

Some you act on.

Some you don't.

I think I'll interrupt this dinner

party by sitting on my food.

No, I won't do that.

I think I'll ask a complete stranger to loan me $,.

No, I won't do that.

Oh my God.

- Been looking for you.

What's wrong?

- Nothing.

- Well, you're out here all by yourself.

Something is wrong.

Of course, something is wrong.

Your father's been out here.

- So my father's been out here.

So what?

- So ever since he arrived, you've

been reminded of all the reasons you left

Oklahoma in the first place.

Your sense of yourself as an attorney has been undermined.

Your sense of yourself as a woman has been conflicted.

- You don't know the first thing about me.

- I think I do.

- And I'm telling you you don't.

I don't wanna be psychoanalyzed, and I

don't wanna be preached to.

Believe it or not, I am not some empty vessel

waiting to be filled.

I know what I want, I know what I need,

and I am perfectly capable of deciding

how I want to live my life.

Now I'm going.

[music playing]

[end theme]

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