Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (TV Series)

Poison (2004)

Marlo Thomas: Judge Mary Clark

Quotes 

• A.D.A. Casey Novak : [about Judge Taft]  This guy is an arrogant prick.

  Judge Mary Clark : True. And he completely takes issue with young attorneys who think they know more about the law than he does.

  Detective Elliot Stabler : And you're worried about my ego? This guy abuses his power and gets away with it.

  Judge Mary Clark : You didn't help the situation by mouthing off to the trial judge.

• Judge Mary Clark : [after Casey files criminal charges against Judge Taft]  Well, I'll say this for you, you've got balls.

• Detective Elliot Stabler : [to Novak after he is held in contempt]  Thanks for getting me a couple hours off.

  A.D.A. Casey Novak : You're not blaming this on me.

  Detective Elliot Stabler : You did let that defense attorney trash me pretty good.

  A.D.A. Casey Novak : That stunt that you pulled, that's gonna help ensure that Judge Taft is gonna screw me in the trial, but, hey, at least your ego's still intact.

  Detective Elliot Stabler : You got me out to talk about my ego?

  A.D.A. Casey Novak : I did not get you out of there.

  Judge Mary Clark : I called in a favor. The contempt citation is withdrawn. So if you could possibly stop acting like a petulant child, that will be thanks enough.

• A.D.A. Casey Novak : [to Clark]  Rosalin Silvo is innocent. Here's the M.E.'s report.

  [hands Clark some papers] 

  A.D.A. Casey Novak : Judge Taft let his bias run that courtroom. He pulled the same crap he always pulls, only this time he stole a woman's life.

  Judge Mary Clark : That son of a bitch.

  A.D.A. Casey Novak : Seems to be the preferred way to describe this guy.

• Judge Mary Clark : Pick your battles. Winning this trial's more important than wearing a skirt.

• Judge Mary Clark : [to Novak]  You asked an egomaniac to recuse himself?

  A.D.A. Casey Novak : He as much as told the defense that if they waived a jury, he'd acquit. "You were reaching with the attempted murder charge, Ms. Novak." What the hell is that?

  Judge Mary Clark : It's a tactic. He's trying to get you to plead out the case and make his life easier.

  [Novak hands her some papers] 

  Judge Mary Clark : You're staying the trial? Why?

  A.D.A. Casey Novak : To get Taft recused or disqualified. I've got an appearance before an appellate judge this afternoon.

  Judge Mary Clark : t's one thing to ask for a recusal, but to publicly humiliate a judge? You'll be the enemy in every courtroom in Manhattan.

  A.D.A. Casey Novak : I'm already the enemy as far as Taft is concerned.

  Judge Mary Clark : The trial judge is the sole arbiter of recusal. If Taft believes he's impartial, the Appellate Term will have no reason to find otherwise.

  A.D.A. Casey Novak : So a biased judge gets to decide if he's biased?

  Judge Mary Clark : Yes. That's our legal system, so work within it. Plead out the case or you're looking at an acquittal.

• Judge Mary Clark : Casey, what's wrong?

  A.D.A. Casey Novak : I need a favor.

  Judge Mary Clark : If this is about Taft, forget it.

  A.D.A. Casey Novak : I've been going through his decisions over the past ten years. He's capricious, he disregards procedure on a whim. He dismissed assault charges without a motion and without a hearing, and he repeatedly sets exorbitant bail to force pleas.

  Judge Mary Clark : Casey, this is a total waste of time.

  A.D.A. Casey Novak : And every attorney that asks for Taft's recusal, they lose, including another child-poisoning case: The People v. Rosalin Silvo.

  Judge Mary Clark : All right, let me see it.

  [Novak hands her the transcripts] 

  A.D.A. Casey Novak : Here are the transcripts. Silvo takes her daughter to the emergency room, she gets arrested for poisoning her with antifreeze. She waives her jury at the trial, Taft disallows an expert witness who's gonna testify that her daughter has a genetic disease, so Silvo's attorney asks for Taft's recusal. Silvo's doing 25 to life. Do you know what this is?

  Judge Mary Clark : You don't know what this is. You've no idea what the circumstances were.

  A.D.A. Casey Novak : This is grounds for getting his ass thrown off the bench. I need you to call Jack Dryer at the State Commission on Judicial Conduct and ask if anyone's filed confidential complaints against Taft.

  Judge Mary Clark : No. Absolutely not. You want to talk to Dryer, be my guest, but I guarantee he's going to laugh you out of his office.

  A.D.A. Casey Novak : I'm asking you to make one phone call.

  Judge Mary Clark : And I'm telling you that nothing you've shown me proves that Taft's done anything unethical or improper. You find such proof, bring it to me. Otherwise I'm done with this, Casey.