The Benign Prerogative
Encyclopedia
Plot
The war on crime and its effects underline the activities at the White House as Toby finishes the State of the Union Address a few weeks early, and a pregnant Joey Lucas polls responses to the speech from everyday people. Charlie is intrigued by rookie journalist Meeshell Anders (Gabrielle UnionGabrielle Union
Gabrielle Monique Union is an American actress and former model. Among her notable roles is as the cheerleader opposite Kirsten Dunst in the film Bring it On. Union starred opposite Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in the blockbuster film Bad Boys II and played a medical doctor in the CBS drama...
) and begins dating her, but her future work assignment causes an irreparable rift between them. Toby hires a young new assistant named Rena, who came to work at the White House during the earlier shutdown.
The pardons issue takes center stage, as Abbey pressures her husband to pardon a Native American tribal leader convicted of killing two FBI agents in North Dakota, the GOP wants leniency for an imprisoned ex-Governor in failing health, Josh fobs off the assignment of reviewing a very short list of pardon candidates on Donna, and the family ties of one possible candidate lead to a brutal decision with devastating real world consequences. President Bartlet makes a stand when a highway-improvements bill includes a GOP rider for reducing judicial discretion in sentencing. Bartlet opposes the mandatory minimums and guidelines for prison sentences
Mandatory sentencing
A mandatory sentence is a court decision setting where judicial discretion is limited by law. Typically, people convicted of certain crimes must be punished with at least a minimum number of years in prison...
, vetos the measure, makes a speech about how being tough on crime needs to go along with being smart on crime, and pardons over 30 inmates. He then tells one of them to make the most of this opportunity.