The Whole Truth Episode 1.03 Judicial Discretion

Teaser:

In the middle of trial, Judge Rubin Wright (Judd Hirsch) is arrested and asks Jimmy to be his lawyer on the spot. Jimmy accepts the case even though he has a rocky past with the stern but well-respected Judge Wright.

Arraignment:

When Arraignment is bumped up – a favor to Judge Wright by his fellow Justices – Kathryn Peale and the Prosecution scramble to get the case files from the Investigations Bureau of the DA's office – but they can't get the files on time. Kathryn goes into Arraignment without any details as to why the DA is charging Judge Wright for murder. Jimmy wins and Judge Wright is released on bail, and as a further favor, is granted a day to raise the money for said bail.

Act 1 – The Prosecution:

Kathryn picks up a Hamsa – to guard against the Evil Eye – as she's realized that her new case is bringing a lot of negative attention her way from Judge Wright's far-flung friends throughout Manhattan's legal system. She and Edge finally get a meeting with the Investigations Bureau ADA who explains the evidence they have on Wright: he was taking bribes from a drug lord (Santiago) and judging in favor of his people. Further, they say that Wright got a fellow lawyer out of jail – Murray Rothstein – so that one of Santiago's hit men could take him out. It's Rothstein's murder for which Wright is being charged. The Prosecution has a phone tap of Wright ordering Santiago to tell Rothstein to meet him at the Park Central (hotel restaurant).

Kathryn and Chad meet with Santiago at Rikers. Santiago makes a deal, giving her Rothstein's logbook which details every bribe made by Santiago to Wright. As they are leaving Rikers they run into Jimmy, who miraculously already knows they have the logbook…

Act 2 – The Defense:

Judge Wright meets with the defense at Jimmy's offices where he proclaims his innocence and inability to pay for Jimmy's services. Wright's wife recently passed away and he spent all of his money on her care. Wright explains that he did help his friend Rothstein get out of jail because he was exactly that, a friend. He explains they used to have dinner at the Park Central all the time – there was nothing strange about that comment.

Lena runs into Santiago's attorney, Dan Olin, and in return for a dinner date, he tells her that Santiago is going to turn Rothstein's logbook over to the Prosecution. Jimmy goes to Rikers to meet with Santiago himself where he runs into Kathryn and Chad, confuses them with his seemingly psychic knowledge of the logbook. He meets with Santiago who attempts to protect the deal he cut with Kathryn by threatening Jimmy's family…

Act 3:

Jimmy warns his ex of the threat he's just received and tells her to take the kids out of town. The next morning, Kathryn admits to Edge that the stress of this case is getting to her. They walk in on a bedraggled Chad who's found a pattern in Rothstein's logbook that implicates Wright as the recipient of bribes that then benefited Santiago's people in his courtroom. The pattern looks great, but they've got to find the bribe money. They get and execute a warrant to search Wright's residence, but the only evidence they find supports Wright as a loving husband and baseball fan – not a murderer.

Jimmy and Alejo go over the pattern with Wright, who has a perfectly logical and legally substantiated answer for every accusation. Kathryn knows she doesn't have enough of a case for a sure conviction unless she can convince the jury that "Park Central" means murder. She heads to the Park Central itself where she's told that Arnold Rothstein – the crook who fixed the 1919 World Series – was murdered right there in the hotel. Baseball trivia…

Act 4:

Kathryn theorizes that Judge Wright came up with the code "Park Central" to order Rothstein's murder in homage to the baseball–related murder at the Park Central of another Rothstein, 90 years ago. The warrant for Santiago's wire – the recording of Wright saying "Park Central" - was illegal. So Jimmy may be able to get the whole issue of what was said on that call thrown out. Only trouble is, the judge who stamped the defective warrant –Wright himself. But in a motions hearing the sitting Judge refuses to exclude the warrant for the wire.

Judge Wright pleads with Kathryn and pleads with her to drop this case – it's ruining his life and all over a misunderstanding. She won't relent, so Wright points out how simple it would be for their roles to be reversed, in fact, he points out a "Gomez" case Kathryn lost related to Santiago's crime syndicate. Is he threatening her or pleading out of desperation?

Kathryn informs Jimmy of the conversation who then confronts his client: if Wright does anything like that again, Jimmy is walking off the case…

Act 5:

Edge and Alejo question an affable arraignment clerk who explains that Wright's call asking him to help out with Rothstein was totally normal, but that Rothstein turning up dead an hour after his release was anything but normal. Santiago testifies for Kathryn that "Park Central" was a hit order on Rothstein. For Jimmy, Santiago testifies that he never saw bribes enter Wright's hands, for all he knew that money never got to Wright.

Judge Wright goes a bit too far on direct and mentions the Gomez case. Kathryn immediately objects but Jimmy sees an opportunity here: he and Kathryn approach where he submits that her past actions should be admissible. The Judge agrees while Kathryn fumes. Jimmy has crossed a line…

Act 6:

Jimmy tries to apologize to Kathryn, but she won't have it. Further enraging her frustration with this case, someone sets the fire alarm off in the middle of her summations to help Judge Wright. The jury comes back with a verdict of not guilty.

Verdict notwithstanding, Kathryn is still convinced of Wright's guilt. Cut to: Six months later where Judge Wright answers a knock at his door. The hit man who killed Rothstein has come to collect on the balance of the contract that he cannot collect from the incarcerated Santiago. Wright hesitates, but then agrees to pay the balance. The man identifies himself as an FBI agent and arrests Wright. As Wright is being taken into custody Kathryn gloats, although he says she's wasting her time – he was acquitted and there's such a thing as double jeopardy. But Kathryn is trying Wright in Federal court this time around. Jimmy runs into Kathryn at the Park Central. He apologizes and it's clear that they've finally buried the hatchet.