History Awesome / LawAndOrder

* Lennie punching out one of the reckless, SmugSnake bounter hunters in "Hunters" is definitely worth celebrating (even with the [[StockSoundEffects cheesy punch sound effect]]).

* Similiar to the first example in Season 1, there's Jack's absolutely ''brutal'' (and justified) cross-examination in "Progeny" of a radical pro-life [[ActivistFundamentalistAntics 'activist']] (who [[MoralMyopia committed murder by proxy]]), in which he tears down the perp's bogus 'justification' defense. What makes it even better is Jack bringing up slavery in the Bible after the perp himself, [[AFoolForAClient in his opening statement]], compared the law that formerly kept slaves from being people (legally) to the current law that says a fetus is not a person (and keeps abortion legal).

'''Perp''': Capital punishment is revenge. I killed Dr. Reed to prevent deaths, not to avenge them.\\

* Lennie punching out one of the reckless, SmugSnake bounter hunters in "Hunters" is definitely worth cheering over (even with the [[StockSoundEffects cheesy punch sound effect]]).

* Similiar to the first example in Season 1, there's Jack's absolutely ''brutal'' (and justified) cross-examination in "Progeny" of a radical pro-life [[ActivistFundamentalistAntics 'activist']] (who [[MoralMyopia committed murder by proxy]]), in which he tears down the perp's bogus 'justification' defense. What makes it even better is Jack bringing up slavery in the Bible after the perp himself, [[AFoolForAClient in his opening statement]], compared the law that formerly kept slaves from being people (legally) to the current law that says a fetus is not a person (and makes abortion legal).

'''Perp''': ''[continues to say nothing]''\\

* A junior ADA cross-examination of a suspect often ends up being an Awesome Moment. One example is Serena Southerlyn's cross-examination of a sexist Islamic extremist.

* A junior ADA cross-examination of a suspect often ends up being an Awesome Moment. Two examples are Serena Southerlyn's cross-examination of a sexist Islamic extremist and Alexandra Borgia's goading of a SmugSnake / ManipulativeBastard con-artist (who'd already managed to fool [[Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit SVU]] in a previous episode) into implicating herself and her mother (in one of her first crosses, no less).

* Southerlyn get's a very impressive moment in "The Ring". The witness claimed to have seen the victim, Kelly, at the World Trade Center on 9/11. When they described the bag, Southerlyn has the [[EurekaMoment Eureka moment]] that would make Sherlock Holmes proud. Southerlyn notices that the purse they found was an evening bag, not a work bag with things that you would need at a work place (planner, writing utensils, etc.) The bag that was found was filled with things for a date. Thanks to her keen eye for details, this led to the suspect, Donald Houseman, caught lying under oath, which was enough to dig deeper into his case and eventually lead him to confess to the crime. Game Set and Match, all thanks to a purse.
** Lennie gets one too. When they get the clear to search Houseman's files, he kept it behind a good password protection. Everyone stumped, Lennie remembers the pet name "boo boo" and sure enough, it was the password needed.

* Junior ADA Connie Rubirosa is roped into working as a defense lawyer for an accused murderer thanks to a legal aid strike—and she's been handing Mike Cutter his ass in court. One of the paralegals in the DA's office asks her what it's like "working for the dark side"—but DA Jack [=McCoy=] answers the question for her:
-->'''Jack:''' Is that how you see it—us versus Them? Miss Rubirosa is conducting herself within the bounds of the canon of ethics and zealously representing her client to the best of her abilities. That's what she's expected to do, whether that client is a criminal defendant or the People of the State of New York -- and if I hear any more crap from any of you, you'll all be working traffic court for the next five years.

* After years of being [[Understatement {{somewhat liberal}}]] with his prosecution methods that got him in hot water, in "Illegal" [=McCoy=] puts the axe to one of the District Attorney prosecutors whose personal affairs were not only compromising an active case, but effectively tried to threaten and pressure [=McCoy=] himself. This gets the prosecutor to attempt to indict and slander our D.A., proclaiming him discriminatory against all cops as his own attorney tries to outright paint a picture of his past issues as nothing but being overly liberal. [[ShutUpHannibal Without so much as a pause, McCoy makes it firm that he stands on the side of justice, for the law and for the victims alike.]] The case is unanimously a guilty verdict and [=McCoy=] gets no further trouble for it.

* After years of being [[Understatement somewhat liberal]] with his prosecution methods that got him in hot water, [=McCoy=] puts the axe to one of the District Attorney prosecutors whose personal affairs were not only compromising an active case, but effectively tried to threaten and pressure [=McCoy=] himself. This gets the prosecutor to attempt to indict and slander our D.A., proclaiming him discriminatory against all cops as his own attorney tries to outright paint a picture of his past issues as nothing but being overly liberal. [[ShutUpHannibal Without so much as a pause, McCoy makes it firm that he stands on the side of justice, for the law and for the victims alike.]] The case is unanimously a guilty verdict and [=McCoy=] gets no further trouble for it.

--->'''Mrs. Perez:''' ''Bitch.''

** Before the Judge’s sentencing, we get the scene where Stone questions Dr. Lowenstein when he's on the stand, which is amazing to watch. Stone is absolutely ''livid'' at this man for what he's done, and it shows. And while he does raise his voice once or twice during the questioning, he doesn't completely lose his composure despite how badly he wants to take this asshole down.

'''Dr. Lowenstein:''' ...I-I didn’t feel it was necessary.\\

'''Stone:''' (''grabs a photo of the desk and gives it to him'') Please, sir, I direct you to examine People’s Exhibit #37; it is a photograph of a blood stain on ''your'' living room floor. A blood stain measuring 27 inches by 38 inches. A blood stain the size of ''a small rug''!\\
'''Dr. Lowenstein:''' It was dark... there wasn’t, uh, many lights about...\\

'''Dr. Lowenstein:''' You’re twisting everything I say!\\

Jenny Snyder's [[CallingTheOldManOut Calling Your Parents Out]] TheReasonYouSuckSpeech from "Dazzled".

--->'''Connie:''' There is nothing imagined about the wrongs of Trina's childhood. Whatever she was in her adult life, she learned from a master. Randall Bailey had a pathological need to abuse his daughter. A need that he finally took to its logical, deadly conclusion. And thanks to a tricked-up claim of self-defense that has been a staple of crime fiction for decades, he thinks he can get away with it. But consider this. 6-foot, 180 pounds vs. 5' 5", 110 pounds. Consider 13 deep, devastating stab wounds vs. 8 pin pricks. Consider what it took to drive this knife through meat and bone into the body of his own daughter. ''(stabs a book with Randall's knife repeatedly)'' [[PunctuatedPounding Not once. Not twice. But 13 times!]] This was not paternal love, or instinct! No! It was murderous rage! ''(stabs once more)''

--->'''[=McCoy=]:''' You've had quite a run for someone so long. Exploiting unsuspecting college kids. Taking advantage of their youth, their innocence, their vulnerability. And if they change their minds, to Hell with them! A release is a release! Like it or not, the world is going to see you naked! Unless you pay me. Or screw me. That's a lot of heartache. A lot of ruined lives. And no one could touch you. But now, you are ''directly responsible'' for a ''death''. And I intend to make you ''pay'' for that. Am I happy? Yes. But it's a side benefit.

--> '''Attorney:''' Are you threatening me?
--> '''Stone:''' Why, yes, I am.
* Paul Robinette got one early in the first season episode "Out of the Half-Light", in which [[RippedFromTheHeadlines a black teenager claims she was raped by white police officers and a publicity hungry congressman uses this to inflame racial tensions]]. By the end of the episode, Robinette finds out the whole thing started as a lie to the girls parents that spun out of control. As he privately confronts the congressman with this evidence, we get this exchange:
--> '''Congressman Eaton''': You look me in the eye and you tell me this system is just. That this system is ''equal''.
--> '''Robinette''': Sometimes the system stinks, Eaton. I know that as well as you do. But don't tell me for one damn minute that tearing down a 200 year old justice system, no matter how flawed, is going to alter the consciousness of a society! We're past the separate drinking fountain stage. We're past legal discrimination. We're at the ''hearts and minds'' stage. And believe me, there's no quick fix.
--> '''Congressman Eaton''': Another zombified soul casts his vote for order rather than justice. Negative peace over positive peace.
--> '''Robinette''': Paraphrasing Martin Luther King's thoughts won't lend credence to yours. ''King'' walked with the angels. You'd slide in slime on your belly to get what you want.

--->'''Dr. Lowenstein:''' Your honor, I've lost my family.
--->'''Judge Erdheim:''' Yes, you have. Jacob Lowenstein, having been found guilty of murder in the second degree by depraved indifference to human life, this court sentences you to 25 years to life in a state penitentiary.
** Before the Judge’s sentencing, we get the scene where Stone questions Dr. Lowenstein when he’s on the stand, which is amazing to watch. Stone is absolutely ''livid'' at this man for what he’s done, and it shows. And while he does raise his voice once or twice during the questioning, he doesn’t completely lose his composure despite how badly he wants to take this asshole down.

'''Dr. Lowenstein:''' Well, I certainly didn’t think it anything serious.\\

'''Stone:''' Does she usually spend the night on a parkay floor without a blanket?\\

'''Dr. Lowenstein:''' I didn’t see that.\\

--> '''Stone:''' What about the prostitute eyewitnesses saw you with, Miss Tammy White? They reported that you got very angry towards her-
--> '''Captain:''' ''That bitch deserved it!''
--> '''Stone:''' ...Which bitch is it, Sir? Lieutenant Hagen...or Tammy White?

'''Stone:''' I'm not judging you, sir; that's up to your conscience and twelve honest citizens. And I assure you, the latter wil be less generous to you than the former.

--> '''CEO:''' Okay. Fine. I make deals for living, I can make one more. I am a businessman. What are you offering?
--> '''Ben Stone:''' I'm not a businessman, sir. I offer you nothing.

-->'''Ben Stone:''' I guess you just weren't clever enough.
-->'''Phillip Swann:''' I got this far, Ben.
-->'''Ben Stone:''' A lot of effort to wind up right back where you started. And in polite society, sir, you don't call people by their first name unless they ask you to. I didn't do that. You're not a friend, and you're certainly not a colleague.
* In "Profile", the police arrest a man who had been shooting minorities feeling that they got special treatment and had "invaded" his old neighborhood. One of the victims (an elderly black man) survives, and testifies against him. When the defense attorney asks how the victim is so sure his client was the shooter (it was night and the man was wearing a cap pulled down, so the witness is identifying him entirely by voice), the victim gives a beautiful response.

--> '''Ben Stone''': Mr. Lang, I get the feeling that you did this for hire. Now, I can charge you with murder, and if you don't start talking you're the one who's going to be serving a life sentence.
--> '''Joey 'Dogs' Lang''': Well, if I'm going for one, I might as well go for the deuce.
--> '''Ben Stone''': Is that a threat, sir?
--> '''Joey 'Dogs' Lang''': I could be over this table and crack your head before that clown could do anything about it. See, I'm not going down for something I *didn't* do.
--> '''Ben Stone''': Sir, you just threatened a man who could charge you with murder. And right now, I don't give a damn about your innocence. So what good did that do you?

* DA Adam Schiff was everyone's favorite curmudgeon, but in "Jeopardy", he gets his own Awesome Moment. An old law school friend of his - who is now a judge - throws out a triple-murder case against the son of a wealthy family, and when Schiff orders an investigation of the judge's finances, the police and the DA's office discover the family matriarch secured a favorable loan for the judge to keep him from being financially ruined. Schiff personally goes down to the 27th Precinct, walks into the interrogation room where the judge is being questioned--and with just a ''look'', gets Jack, the cops, and the man's lawyer to leave, ''tells the cops to turn off the audio pickup'', and then proceeds to quietly ask the judge why he did it. The judge says his wife left him and was cleaning him out in the divorce, and the bribe was too good to resist - and he also claims [=McCoy=] would've lost the case anyway. Schiff, disgusted, tells him it shouldn't have mattered - he's going to tell the police everything, and then spend a very long time in prison.
** Jack [=McCoy=] gets one in this episode as well by successfully convincing a new judge to vacate the original dismissal of the case, as double jeopardy protections did not attach at the rigged trial ("This defendant was never in jeopardy to begin with"). After securing a second chance to convict the murderer, [=McCoy=] manages to squeeze a plea bargain out of said murderer by threatening to convict his mother - the family matriarch who bribed the judge in the original trial - of bribery and conspiracy and send her to prison.
--> '''Schiff:''' "You got around double jeopardy. You climbed Everest in your shorts, on a very cold day."

--> '''[=McCoy=]:''' *throws a bunch of law books in the garbage* " We don't need those anymore. Over the past two weeks I put on a near perfect case. I proved the defendant had access to the materials used to make the bomb, I proved he was on the subway the day the bomb exploded. You heard testimony that someone fitting his description committed a similar crime using the identical toxic gas five years ago in Baltimore, which just happens to be his home town. A near perfect case, and still there's a chance I could lose, that's why I tossed those law books. And that's why Mr. Le Clair is absolutely right when he says black fingers are pointing at us, where else are they gonna point? No, none of us ever dragged anyone here in chains, we never hanged anybodies grandfather from a tree for looking too long at the master's daughter. We're a lot smarter than that, and subtler. Instead of chains we use reasonable doubt, instead of restricted bathrooms we use unanimous verdicts. Yes we can send a message. We can say 'The racial divide in this country has grown, and is growing, and here's another example of just how unfair it gets.' Or we can say 'Enough. Equal protection under the law means exactly what it says.'"

* In “Slave,” a suspect flees when confronted by Briscoe, Curtis, and Van Buren, who were staking out his residence. As he runs up a flight of stairs, Van Buren grabs him, drags him back down said stairs, and proceeds to slam him into the wall before cuffing him. It’s one of the few times we get to see her in action in the field, and shows she’s a force to be reckoned with.

* A small moment in the episode "Navy Blues" during an interview with the suspect, Lt. Blair's, landing training officer. Throughout the episode, Miss Ross has been trying to turn this into a gender issue in regards to the Navy's policies, and gets ruffled when the officer states he wouldn't have qualified Blair if the Navy hadn't ordered him to get female officers through ASAP. She demands to know what he has against female pilots, and he states it's not female pilots, it's ''bad'' pilots. He goes on to say that she had 5 downs- critical mistakes made while flying- where most pilots were permitted only two, and hands them a recording of her training run that he kept [[CrazyPrepared just in case.]] Gutsy, considering the Navy had been going to great lengths to protect Blair earlier and probably would have come after him if they'd known he made it.

--> '''[=McCoy=]''': Your good friend Wendy told us that you'd been dumped before. Is that right?
--> '''Stephanie Harker''': It happens.
--> '''[=McCoy=]''': By a rich boy who treated you like trash. Your father owned a souvenir stand, right?
--> '''Stephanie Harker''': Yes.
--> '''[=McCoy=]''': Is that why the boy dumped you?
--> '''Stephanie Harker''': There is nothing wrong with the souvenir stand.
--> '''[=McCoy=]''': Then why were you so desperate to get out of there?
--> '''Stephanie Harker''': I had some bad memories.
--> '''[=McCoy=]''': Of being dumped because you were poor trash?
--> '''Stephanie Harker''': Look, I was an idiot! He wanted one thing: My body, and he got it!
--> '''[=McCoy=]''': You weren't gonna let that happen again, were you?
--> '''Stephanie Harker''': No!
--> '''[=McCoy=]''': From then on, you were going to be the one using people.
--> '''Stephanie Harker''': I don't use people!
--> '''[=McCoy=]''': How 'bout the used car king? How 'bout your husband?
--> '''Stephanie Harker''': I helped my husband in a lot of ways!
--> '''[=McCoy=]''': The chairman of a multi-million-dollar software company? How exactly does a drug-whacked daughter of a souvenir-stand owner help him?
--> '''Stephanie Harker''': There were a lot of things my husband didn't understand! Him and his friends! Jane Austen, like that matters.
--> '''[=McCoy=]''': He understood you, though, didn't he?
--> '''Stephanie Harker''': What do you mean?
--> '''[=McCoy=]''': He finally understood you were just a hick-town party girl who didn't belong here!
--> '''Harker's Lawyer''': Objection! He's harassing the witness.
--> '''Judge''': Sustained. Watch it, Mr. [=McCoy=].
--> '''Stephanie Harker''': I belong here as much as any of them!
--> '''[=McCoy=]''': Did he tell you he was shipping you out?!
--> '''Stephanie Harker''': Nobody ships me anywhere!
--> '''[=McCoy=]''': He'd be able to face his friends again, wouldn't he?
--> '''Stephanie Harker''': The bunch of snobs!
--> '''Harker's Lawyer''': Your honor, may we have a recess?
--> '''[=McCoy=]''': It's not being a snob if they're really better than you!
--> '''Stephanie Harker''': The women were jealous of me! The men all wanted to get me in bed!
--> '''[=McCoy=]''': And you were happy to oblige!
--> '''Stephanie Harker''': No! Not anymore! Nobody takes advantage of me anymore!
--> '''[=McCoy=]''': You were on your way back to that souvenir stand, weren't you?! Where you belong?
--> '''Stephanie Harker''': I am smarter than all of them! They had it handed to them! I had to work for it! They think I was trash? ''They don't know anything!!''

* In Season 9's "Agony", a SmugSnake of a serial killer is about to get off scot free with six murders - after ''leading the D.A's office to the bodies'' - after finding out he didn't commit the crime he pleaded guilty to (he led them to the other bodies by claiming he was speaking theoretically, so he hasn't technically implicated himself). Abbie is appropriately pissed, and wants to let him plead to the crime anyway, but [=McCoy=] refuses, much to Abbie's disdain. But then [=McCoy=] gets a better idea, and asks Abbie if she still has letterhead from her time at the Houston DA's office. In the following scene, they show him a supposed extradition request from Texas, and inform him they're dropping all the lesser charges to make it easier for Texas to extradite. In desperation, the killer agrees to confess to one of the other killings in order to avoid being sent to a death penalty state.

-->'''Jenny Snyder''': Oh, my God. You two are so pathetic! You run around, like, throwing bombs at each other when everything was falling apart!
-->'''Don Snyder''': I don't want you to say another word. Do you understand me? Sweetheart, do you understand me?
-->'''Jenny Snyder''': So, now, like, [[WhatTheHellHero you're going to be my father again]], is that it?
-->'''Dr. Claire Snyder''':[[ThisIsGonnaSuck Jenny, honey, don't]].
-->'''Jenny Snyder''': Mom, I'm sorry.
-->'''Don Snyder''': Come on, let's go. We're getting out of here.
-->'''Jenny Snyder''': You can't tell me what to do! Not anymore! [''to Claire''] You were [[TheAlcoholic drinking, you were taking that drug]], and passing out every night. [''to Don''] And you were following that stupid bitch around and the whole time she was making a fool of you. She didn't love you [[{{GoldDigger}} she just wanted your money.]]
-->'''Dr. Claire Snyder''': [[OhCrap Don't do this]]. [[HeelRealization Do not throw your life away]]. [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone Stop.]]
-->'''Jenny Snyder''': I took some Dazzle from my mom. The same night we carried you out of the bath. I hid it at Dad's and I just waited for the right time.
-->'''Jack [=McCoy=]''': What happened the night Kate died?
-->'''Jenny Snyder''': Dad had to work late. Kate went to her apartment to paint. I got the Dazzle, I left Tim at Dad's and I went over to Kate's. We hung out for a while... She was so happy 'cause I was, like, finally coming around. So I asked her to see the roof. She was always bragging what a great place she had, how cool her life was. And after a while she put her glass down and I just put it in when she turned her back. We kept talking, and then after a couple of minutes she got really dizzy. I helped her so she could lean against the rail and then I... Everything was falling apart. Someone had to do something. You weren't going to do it. [[IDidWhatIHadToDo So I did.]]

-->'''Simels:''' Why should he plead? You have no case now.
-->'''[=McCoy=]:''' On the murder charge, maybe not. But you're forgetting the oxycodone he had in his possession when we arrested him.
-->'''Simels:''' [[SarcasmMode You're right. I did forget the bag of twelve pills he was arrested with.]]
-->'''Southerlyn:''' Possession with intent. It's a B felony.
-->'''Simels:''' You can't make out intent with that amount.
-->'''[=McCoy=]:''' With the pharmacist's testimony, that he was in cahoots with your client, it shouldn't be that hard.
-->'''Avakian:''' You think that wimp is actually gonna show up at court?
-->'''Southerlyn:''' We have him in protective custody as a material witness.
-->'''Simels:''' So then my client will take the stand and say that this guy's lying. That the pills the police found on him were for his bad back.
-->'''[=McCoy=]:''' Except your client can't testify. According to Judge Kerner's ruling, if he takes the stand we can introduce his murder confession.
-->''[Avakian and his lawyer both get an OhCrap look on their faces]''
-->'''Avakian:''' So? I blow trial on the drugs... and do a few years.
-->'''[=McCoy=]:''' You don't just do a little jail time. You have two felony convictions.
-->'''Southerlyn:''' Which makes you a discretionary persistent felon. You're facing a life sentence just as if we were trying you on a murder charge.
-->''[The OhCrap look gets worse]''

--> '''Suspect''': "Very good. A primate can regurgitate what it heard. Nice. Let's move on to sentences."
--> '''Ed''': "Let me ask you something."
--> '''Suspect''': "Primate? It's like a monkey."
--> '''Ed''': "No, I want to ask you about Einstein's theory. Because I'm not sure he was right."
--> '''Suspect''': "Headline! Cop cracks relativity!"
--> '''Ed''': "No, not that theory. His theory on genius. See, and correct me if I'm wrong, Einstein said that genius has no personality. But you proved a negative. You definitely have a personality. And it makes this primate wanna whoop your ass. Now say something."
* In "Hitman" [=McCoy=] and Southerlyn thinks he has the case solved, Tony Rosatti's killer was a hitman hired by his wife and her lover, Sherri and Randy, and it was funded by his friend, "Bobby Vig" Vignerelli. When they tried interrogating Bobby, Tony's Lawyer, who is representing Bobby by Tony's wishes, comes in with an unopened package with a tape inside. In the tape, Tony Rosatti reveals everything. He set up his own death, and frame his wife and lover in an attempt to ruin them for cheating on him, and try to steal everything from him. He ends the video with a satisfying toast to everyone in the room present. Bobby is all too impressed by his friends planning and bids him farewell, and [=McCoy=] can only try to grasp for anything to convict Bobby, but to no avail. Not only that, Tony left a clause in his will that, should he commit suicide, Bobby gets everything, not his cheating wife. A man with nothing left to lose (literally) ended up with the last laugh against everyone, and the team can only bitterly accept it.
* Southerlyn get's a very impressive moment in "The Ring". The witness who claimed to have scene the victim, Kelly, at the World Trade Center on 9/11. When they described the bag, Southerlyn has the [[EurekaMoment Eureka moment]] that would make Shirlock Holmes proud. Southerlyn notice that the bag they found was an "Evening Bag", not a Work Bag that would contain things that you would need at a work place. The bag that was found was filled with things for a date. Thanks to her keen eye for details, this led to the suspect, Donald Houseman, caught lying under oath, which was enough to dig deeper into his case and eventually lead him to confess to the crime. Game Set and Match, all thanks to a purse.

* D.A. Branch gets in a good one in "Bitch". The Martha Stewart expy tries to use her connections, money and the fact that she's a woman in the business world to get away with sleeping with her daughter's fiancee, killing him in a supposed PMS rage and engaging in illegal insider trading. When she tries to invoke the former (namely in using her connections to him to manipulate things in her favor), this angers him to the point of threatening to go back into court himself and exposing her secrets including all of her other underhanded business dealings and every man she ever slept with. [[NotSoStoic This drives her to have a breakdown.]]

* The episode “Fixed” is honestly almost an entire episode of awesome for ''the murderer''. Why? Because of who the victim was; none other than Jacob Lowenstein, the [[AbusiveParents abusive father]] from the Season 1 episode, “Indifference”. After getting released on parole after 15 years in prison for the murder of his daughter Didi, he soon moves in with his new girlfriend Cheryl and her two children. Only to get mowed down in a hit and run. He survives long enough to tell police that he believes that it was deliberate, and proves to still be the {{Jerkass}} he was 15 years before, [[NeverMyFault taking no responsibility for what happened to his daughter and blaming everyone else for his incarceration]]. He soon dies of his injuries, and Green and Fontana soon find the driver of the car that hit him; his own prison therapist, Joyce Draper. Why did she do it? During their therapy sessions, Lowenstein taunted Joyce and all but openly threatened that after he got out of prison, he’d do to Cheryl’s kids what he had done to Didi. After his release, Joyce checked in with Cheryl, and discovered that her daughter broke her arm in an “accident” shortly after Lowenstein moved in with them. Joyce ran him down because she didn’t want what happened to Didi to happen to anyone else. And even better? She gets acquitted of the murder, meaning ''she basically got away with it!''

* In the episode "Red Ball", a little girl is kidnapped. The perp, life-long criminal offender Dwight Jacobs, is caught shortly after, but he knows enough about the justice system to exploit it: Jacobs says he'll only reveal the girl's location if the prosecution offers him a plea bargain with no jail time. [=McCoy=], who realizes he's working against time, tries everything possible to both rescue the girl and put Jacobs in jail -- but he's eventually stonewalled by the system, which is when he realizes he can't save the girl and put the bad guy away. (This is one of the few times [=McCoy=] comes close to legitimately punching a suspect, judging by the look on his face.) [=McCoy=] finally succumbs and takes the deal so the girl can be saved from dying. When Jacobs appears to be getting off scot-free, the presiding judge -- who had been described as a stubborn battleax -- proclaims she won't accept the plea bargain, since honoring the deal would be a "perversion of due process". The judge cranks Jacobs' sentence to the max, which results in a massive VillainousBreakdown as the cops drag him out of the courtroom:
--> '''Dwight Jacobs''': That's not right. We had a deal. You can't do this! \\

** Why did the judge refuse to take the plea as it was written? DA Arthur Branch had, in a way, encouraged her to do so after figuring out Jack was preparing to make the plea bargain -- which was a variation of a trick [=McCoy=] himself pulled in an earlier episode to get out of a plea bargain he'd made with a murderer.

* "Over Here" has [=McCoy=] and Rubirosa visiting the inadequate VA Hospital that the suspect was in when an injured soldier held the door open for that and after Jack thanked him, the man whispered in his ear to check out the closed wing. Upon doing so, they viewed horrid conditions such as asbestos covered ceilings and the presence of vermin throughout. This [[TranquilFury infuriated McCoy]] to the point of reporting about it in open court, even as the U.S. Army had previously warned him not to. In the end, as annoyed as Branch was that he went against the authorities, he still was happy that he did what he did (since it shone a light on the apathy shown towards injured veterans) and was more than willing to defend [=McCoy=] at his disciplinary hearing.

--->'''Connie:''' There is nothing imagined about the wrongs of Trina's childhood. Whatever she was in her adult life, she learned from a master. Randall Bailey had a pathological need to abuse his daughter. A need that he finally took to its logical, deadly conclusion. And thanks to a tricked-up claim of self-defense that has been a staple of crime fiction for decades, he thinks he can get away with it. But consider this. 6-foot, 180 pounds vs. 5' 5", 110 pounds. Consider 13 deep, devastating stab wounds vs. 8 pin pricks. Consider what it took to drive this knife through meat and bone into the body of his own daughter. ''(stabs a book with Randall's knife repeatedly)'' Not once. Not twice. But 13 times! This was not paternal love, or instinct! No! It was murderous rage! ''(stabs once more)''

--->'''[=McCoy=]:''' "You've had quite a run for someone so long. Exploiting unsuspecting college kids. Taking advantage of their youth, their innocence, their vulnerability. And if they change their minds, to Hell with them! A release is a release! Like it or not, the world is going to see you naked! Unless you pay me. Or screw me. That's a lot of heartache. A lot of ruined lives. And no one could touch you. But now, you are ''directly responsible'' for a ''death''. And I intend to make you ''pay'' for that. Am I happy? Yes. But it's a side benefit."

* Junior ADA Connie Rubirosa is roped into working as a defense lawyer for an accused murderer thanks to a legal aid strike -- and she's been handing Mike Cutter his ass in court. One of the paralegals in the DA's office asks her what it's like "working for the dark side" -- but DA Jack [=McCoy=] answers the question for her:
-->'''Jack:''' Is that how you see it -- us versus Them? Miss Rubirosa is conducting herself within the bounds of the canon of ethics and zealously representing her client to the best of her abilities. That's what she's expected to do, whether that client is a criminal defendant or the People of the State of New York -- and if I hear any more crap from any of you, you'll all be working traffic court for the next five years.

* In the Season 19 finale "The Drowned and the Saved", Jack [=McCoy=] clashed yet again with Governor Donald Shalvoy and his wife, Rita -- and after the duo managed to work their way out of a prostitution scandal by stonewalling [=McCoy=] a season earlier (with Rita's support of her philandering husband especially infuriating [=McCoy=]), Jack finally got his revenge for it. The executive of a prominent charity is murdered, and when the investigation reveals he was into [=S&M=], the trail eventually leads to the Shalvoys. Rita is accused of setting the murder plot in motion to help sell a Senate seat her husband was ready to give out, and Donald does his best to protect his wife by stonewalling [=McCoy=] yet again -- but when [=McCoy=] manages to secure an indictment against the governor, he promises to destroy the indictment if Donald offers up testimony which would guarantee a conviction against his wife. Shalvoy, seeing the writing on the wall, reluctantly gives up his wife.
** Jack's moment wasn't the only Awesome Moment in this episode, though. After [=McCoy=] leaves, ADA Michael Cutter reveals he continued talking with some of the sex workers involved with the original murder investigation -- and found out Shalvoy had kept seeing prostitutes, even after the original stonewalled investigation. In exchange for keeping the information private and letting Shalvoy's reputation stay intact, Cutter asks Shalvoy to resign -- and when Shalvoy tells Cutter [=McCoy=] said he wouldn't have to resign his seat, Cutter replies with a matter-of-fact statement which crushes Shalvoy for good: '''"I'm not Jack [=McCoy=]."''' The next scene is of Shalvoy telling the press he's giving up his position in order to support his wife.

* In the episode "By Perjury", ADA Mike Cutter blasts Detective Lupo for an error, which results in considerable animosity between the two. By the episode's end, Cutter has a nasty confrontation with an AmoralAttorney whose career is likely to be destroyed thanks to Cutter's efforts in court. As Cutter walks away, the man follows him, but Lupo and Bernard -- who have witnessed the exchange -- get suspicious and follow suit, which is how Lupo manages to save Cutter's life when the aformentioned Amoral Attorney pulls out a gun.

--> You can have my license -- it'll free me up to testify about the hate speech your client just spewed in here! And after he's convicted of murder in state court, I'll walk across to the US Attorney's office and have your client prosecuted for violating the Matthew Shepard Act! '''Hate murder against gays is a federal offense now!''' Are you ready to do back-to-back life sentences, Mr. Stuber!? '''You will die in jail!'''

---> '''Horace McCoy:''' Tunney, you're gonna listen to me or I'm out that door! '''''SIT!'''''

** Still earlier: the defendant's lawyer, who happens to be black, gets fed up with his racist insults during a jail visit and puts him in his place:
---> '''Horace McCoy:''' Tunney, you're gonna listen to me or I'm out that door! '''''Sit!'''''

** And then the defendant's lawyer, who happens to be black, gets fed up with his racist insults during a jail visit and puts him in his place:

--> '''Mr. Jackson:''' I remember the voice of the first white man who told me not to come in his store. I remember the voice of the doctor who told me I had a healthy son. And I remember the voice of the man who ''took out a gun and shot me''.

** For some context: the guy’s friend was killed by a young woman at a party, and after being arrested, the killer claimed the producer raped her and was afraid that his friend would do the same thing. After finding evidence that corroborates the woman's side of the story [[note]]Surveillance video outside the bus with Drake and Moore talking was analyzed by an FBI lip-reading specialist. What Drake said to Moore about Nicole Flynn corroborates her story.[[/note]], [=McCoy=] charged the friend of the victim with both rape and felony murder[[note]]The Felony Murder rule applies when a person dies while a felony is being committed and that death was foreseeable. Rape is a felony and death is definitely a foreseeable outcome. The problem the prosecution has is that rape is a difficult case to prosecute.[[/note]]. During the trial, it turns out the young woman had agreed to sleep with him in exchange for footage he had previously shot of her after he demanded $10,000 dollars. The producer even had her sign a sexual consent form (the kind some celebrities have specifically so the girls they sleep with will not falsely accuse them of rape). When they started having sex, Nicole said she changed her mind and wanted to stop but Drake said "a deal's a deal" and kept going which Drake denies. Meaning that, up to that point, the prosecution had a weak "he said, she said" rape case. Then, thanks to Drake's own testimony about the sexual consent forms[[note]]Drake lied about ''when'' he started using them and why, which is why you don't put defendants who might be guilty of illegal activity on the stand. It especially isn't a good idea for both the defendant and his lawyer to act smug and present a rape victim as a slut.[[/note]], [=McCoy=] was able to find that another person--a 16-year-old--the producer had slept with had killed herself afterwards. He brought the girl's mother in to testify about the producer's actions which were nearly word-for-word identical to what happened to Nicole Flynn[[note]]The testimony about the sexual assault is allowed as an exception under the hearsay rule. On top of which, her suicide note and what she told her mother 20 minutes prior to hanging herself was a dying declaration.[[/note]]. The fact that this case should have been thrown out more than once early on, but [=McCoy=] was able to keep it in court ''and'' get a murder conviction on a difficult-to-prosecute rape case with flimsy evidence, is what made it an [=MoA=].

--->'''[=McCoy=]:''' "You've had quite a run for someone so long. Exploiting unsuspecting college kids. Taking advantage of their youth, their innocence, their vulnerability. And if they change their minds, to Hell with them! A release is a release! Like it or not, the world is going to see you naked! Unless you pay me. Or screw me. That's a lot of heartache. A lot of ruined lives. And no one could touch you. But now, you are directly responsible for a death. And I intend to make you pay for that. Am I happy? Yes. But it's a side benefit."

** For some context: the guy’s friend was killed by a young woman at a party, and after being arrested, the killer claimed the producer raped her and was afraid that his friend would do the same thing. After finding evidence that corroborates the woman's side of the story [[note]]Surveillance video outside the bus with Drake and Moore talking was analyzed by an FBI lip-reading specialist. What Drake said to Moore about Nicole Flynn corroborates her story.[[/note]], [=McCoy=] charged the friend of the victim with both rape and felony murder[[note]]The Felony Murder rule applies when a person dies while a felony is being committed and that death was foreseeable. Rape is a felony and death is definitely a foreseeable outcome. The problem the prosecution has is that rape is a difficult case to prosecute.[[/note]]. During the trial, it turns out the young woman had agreed to sleep with him in exchange for footage he had previously shot of her after he demanded $10,000 dollars. The producer even had her sign a sexual consent form (the kind some celebrities have specifically so the girls they sleep with will not falsely accuse them of rape). When they started having sex, Nicole said changed her mind and wanted to stop but Drake said "a deal's a deal" and kept going. Meaning that, up to that point, the prosecution had a weak "he said, she said" rape case. Then, thanks to Drake's own testimony about the sexual consent forms[[note]]Drake lied about ''when'' he started using them and why, which is why you don't put defendants who might be guilty of illegal activity on the stand. It especially isn't a good idea for both the defendant and his lawyer to act smug and present a rape victim as a slut.[[/note]], [=McCoy=] was able to find that another person--a 16-year-old--the producer had slept with had killed herself afterwards. He brought the girl's mother in to testify about the producer's actions which were nearly word-for-word identical to what happened to Nicole Flynn[[note]]The testimony about the sexual assault is allowed as an exception under the hearsay rule. On top of which, her suicide note and what she told her mother 20 minutes prior to hanging herself was a dying declaration.[[/note]]. The fact that this case should have been thrown out more than once early on, but [=McCoy=] was able to keep it in court ''and'' get a murder conviction on a difficult-to-prosecute rape case with flimsy evidence, is what made it an [=MoA=].

** For some context: the guy’s friend was killed by a young woman at a party, and after being arrested, the killer claimed the producer raped her and was afraid that his friend would do the same thing. After finding evidence that corroborates the woman's side of the story [[note]]Surveillance video outside the bus with Drake and Moore talking was analyzed by an FBI lip-reading specialist. What Drake said to Moore about Nicole Flynn corroborates her story.[[/note]], [=McCoy=] charged the friend of the victim with both rape and felony murder[[note]]The Felony Murder rule applies when a a person dies while a felony is being committed and that death was foreseeable. Rape is a felony and death is definitely a foreseeable outcome regardless of who dies during the felony. The problem is that rape is a difficult case to prosecute.[[/note]]. It turns out the young woman had agreed to sleep with him in exchange for footage he had previously shot of her after he demanded $10,000 dollars. The producer even had her sign a sexual consent form (the kind some celebrities have specifically so the girls they sleep with will not falsely accuse them of rape) and there weren't any other records or footage. When they started having sex, Nicole said changed her mind and wanted to stop but Drake kept going. Meaning that, up to that point, the prosecution had a weak "he said, she said" rape case. Then, thanks to Drake's own testimony about the sexual consent forms[[note]]Drake lied about ''when'' he started using them and why, which is why you don't put defendants who might be guilty of illegal activity on the stand. It especially isn't a good idea for both the defendant and his lawyer to act smug and present a rape victim as a slut.[[/note]], [=McCoy=] was able to find that another person--a 16-year-old--the producer had slept with had killed herself afterwards. He brought the girl's mother in to testify about the producer's actions which were nearly word-for-word identical to what happened to Nicole Flynn[[note]]The testimony about the sexual assault is allowed as an exception under the hearsay rule. On top of which, her suicide note and what she told her mother 20 minutes prior to hanging herself was a dying declaration.[[/note]]. The fact that this case should have been thrown out more than once early on, but [=McCoy=] was able to keep it in court ''and'' get a murder conviction on a difficult-to-prosecute rape case with flimsy evidence, is what made it an [=MoA=].

** For some context: the guy’s friend was killed by a young woman at a party, and after being arrested, the killer claimed the producer raped her and was afraid that his friend would do the same thing. After finding video that corroborates the woman's side of the story [[note]]Surveillance video outside the bus with Drake and Moore talking was analyzed by an FBI lip-reading specialist. What Drake said to Moore about Nicole Flynn corroborates her story.[[/note]], [=McCoy=] charged the friend of the victim with both rape and felony murder[[note]]The Felony Murder rule applies when a felony is being committed at the time and death is a foreseeable outcome. Rape is a felony and death is definitely a foreseeable outcome regardless of who dies during the felony. The problem is that rape is a difficult case to prosecute.[[/note]]. It turns out the young woman had agreed to sleep with him in exchange for footage he had previously shot of her after he demanded $10,000 dollars. The producer even had her sign a sexual consent form (the kind some celebrities have specifically so the girls they sleep with will not falsely accuse them of rape) and there weren't any other records or footage. Meaning that, up to that point, the prosecution had a weak "he said, she said" rape case. Then, thanks to Drake's own testimony about the sexual consent forms[[note]]Drake lied about ''when'' he started using them and why, which is why you don't put defendants who might be guilty of illegal activity on the stand. It especially isn't a good idea for both the defendant and his lawyer to act smug and present a rape victim as a slut.[[/note]], [=McCoy=] was able to find that another person--a 16-year-old--the producer had slept with had killed herself afterwards. He brought the girl's mother in to testify about the producer's actions which were nearly word-for-word identical to what happened to Nicole Flynn[[note]]The testimony about the sexual assault is allowed as an exception under the hearsay rule. On top of which, her suicide note and what she told her mother 20 minutes prior to hanging herself was a dying declaration.[[/note]]. The fact that this case should have been thrown out more than once early on, but [=McCoy=] was able to keep it in court ''and'' get a murder conviction on a difficult-to-prosecute rape case with flimsy evidence, is what made it an [=MoA=].

** For some context: the guy’s friend was killed by a young woman at a party, and after being arrested, the killer claimed the producer raped her and was afraid that his friend would do the same thing. After finding video that corroborates the woman's side of the story [[note]]Surveillance video outside the bus with Drake and Moore talking was analyzed by an FBI lip-reading specialist. What Drake said to Moore about Nicole Flynn corroborates her story.[[/note]], [=McCoy=] charged the friend of the victim with both rape and felony murder[[note]]The Felony Murder rule applies when a felony is being committed at the time and death is a foreseeable outcome. Rape is a felony and death is definitely a foreseeable outcome regardless of who dies during the felony. The problem is that rape is a difficult case to prosecute.[[/note]]. It turns out the young woman had agreed to sleep with him in exchange for footage he had previously shot of her and she had signed over to him. The producer even had her sign a sexual consent form (the kind some celebrities have specifically so the girls they sleep with will not falsely accuse them of rape) and there weren't any other records or footage. Meaning that, up to that point, the prosecution had a weak "he said, she said" rape case. Then, thanks to Drake's own testimony about the sexual consent forms[[note]]Drake lied about ''when'' he started using them and why, which is why you don't put defendants who might be guilty of illegal activity on the stand. It especially isn't a good idea for both the defendant and his lawyer to act smug and present a rape victim as a slut.[[/note]], [=McCoy=] was able to find that another person--a 16-year-old--the producer had slept with had killed herself afterwards. He brought the girl's mother in to testify about the producer's actions which were nearly word-for-word identical to what happened to Nicole Flynn[[note]]The testimony about the sexual assault is allowed as an exception under the hearsay rule. On top of which, her suicide note and what she told her mother 20 minutes prior to hanging herself was a dying declaration.[[/note]]. The fact that this case should have been thrown out more than once early on, but [=McCoy=] was able to keep it in court ''and'' get a murder conviction on probably the flimsiest evidence ever presented in the entire franchise, is what made it an [=MoA=].

** For some context: the guy’s friend was killed by a young woman at a party, and after being arrested, the killer claimed the producer raped her and was afraid that his friend would do the same thing. After finding video that proves the woman's side of the story [[note]]Surveillance video outside the bus with Drake and Moore talking was analyzed by an FBI lip-reading specialist. What Drake said to Moore about Nicole Flynn corroborates her story.[[/note]], [=McCoy=] charged the friend of the victim with both rape and felony murder[[note]]The Felony Murder rule applies when a felony is being committed at the time and death is a foreseeable outcome. Rape is a felony and death is definitely a foreseeable outcome regardless of who dies during the felony. The problem is that rape is a difficult case to prosecute.[[/note]]. It turns out the young woman had agreed to sleep with him in exchange for footage he had previously shot of her and she had signed over to him. The producer even had her sign a sexual consent form (the kind some celebrities have specifically so the girls they sleep with will not falsely accuse them of rape) and there weren't any other records or footage. Meaning that, up to that point, the prosecution had a weak "he said, she said" rape case. Then, thanks to Drake's own testimony about the sexual consent forms[[note]]Drake lied about ''when'' he started using them and why, which is why you don't put defendants who might be guilty of illegal activity on the stand. It especially isn't a good idea for both the defendant and his lawyer to act smug and present a rape victim as a slut.[[/note]], [=McCoy=] was able to find that another person--a 16-year-old--the producer had slept with had killed herself afterwards. He brought the girl's mother in to testify about the producer's actions which were nearly word-for-word identical to what happened to Nicole Flynn[[note]]The testimony about the sexual assault is allowed as an exception under the hearsay rule. On top of which, her suicide note and what she told her mother 20 minutes prior to hanging herself was a dying declaration.[[/note]]. The fact that this case should have been thrown out more than once early on, but [=McCoy=] was able to keep it in court ''and'' get a murder conviction on probably the flimsiest evidence ever presented in the entire franchise, is what made it an [=MoA=].

** For some context: the guy’s friend was killed by a young woman at a party, and after being arrested, the killer claimed the producer raped her and was afraid that his friend would do the same thing. [=McCoy=] charged the friend of the victim with both rape and felony murder[[note]]The Felony Murder rule applies when a felony is being committed at the time and death is a foreseeable outcome. Rape is a felony and death is definitely a foreseeable outcome regardless of who dies during the felony. The problem is that rape is a difficult case to prosecute.[[/note]]. It turns out the young woman had agreed to sleep with him in exchange for footage he had previously shot of her and she had signed over to him, which the defense did a poor job of presenting and the prosecution was able to later discredit. The producer even had her sign a consent form (the kind some celebrities have specifically so the girls they sleep with will not falsely accuse them of rape) and there weren't any other records or footage. Meaning that, up to that point, the prosecution had a weak "he said, she said" rape case. Then, thanks to Drake's own testimony about the sexual consent forms[[note]]Drake lied about ''when'' he started using them and why, which is why you don't put defendants who might be guilty of illegal activity on the stand. It especially isn't a good idea for both the defendant and his lawyer to act smug.[[/note]], [=McCoy=] was able to find that another person--a 16-year-old--the producer had slept with had killed herself afterwards; he brought the girl's mother in to testify about the producer's actions which were nearly word-for-word identical to what happened to Nicole Flynn[[note]]The testimony about the sexual assault is allowed as an exception under the hearsay rule which the Judge allowed in. On top of which, her suicide note and what she told her mother 20 minutes prior to hanging herself was a dying declaration.[[/note]]. The fact that this case should have been thrown out more than once early on, but [=McCoy=] was able to keep it in court ''and'' get a murder conviction on probably the flimsiest evidence ever presented in the entire franchise, is what made it an [=MoA=].

** For some context: the guy’s friend was killed by a young woman at a party, and after being arrested, the killer claimed the producer raped her and was afraid that his friend would do the same thing. [=McCoy=] charged the friend of the victim with both rape and felony murder[[note]]The Felony Murder rule applies when a felony is being committed at the time and death is a foreseeable outcome. Rape is a felony and death is definitely a foreseeable outcome regardless of who dies during the felony. The problem is that rape is a difficult case to prosecute.[[/note]]. It turns out the young woman had agreed to sleep with him in exchange for footage he had previously shot of her and she had signed over to him, which the defense did a poor job of presenting and the prosecution was able to later discredit. The producer even had her sign a consent form (the kind some celebrities have specifically so the girls they sleep with will not falsely accuse them of rape) and there weren't any other records or footage. Meaning that, up to that point, the prosecution had a weak "he said, she said" rape case. Then, thanks to Drake's own testimony about the sexual consent forms[[note]]Drake lied about ''when'' he started using them and why, which is why you don't put defendants who might be guilty of illegal activity on the stand. It especially isn't a good idea for both the defendant and his lawyer to act smug.[[/note]], [=McCoy=] was able to find that another person--a 16-year-old--the producer had slept with had killed herself afterwards; he brought the girl's mother in to testify about the producer's actions which were nearly word-for-word identical to what happened to Nicole Flynn[[note]]The testimony about the sexual assault is allowed as an exception under the hearsay rule which the Judge allowed in. On top of which, her suicide note and what she told her mother 20 minutes prior to hanging herself was a dying declaration.[[/note]]. The fact that this case should have been thrown out more than once for lack of merits and unrelated testimony, but [=McCoy=] was able to keep it in court ''and'' get a murder conviction on probably the flimsiest evidence ever presented in the entire franchise, is what made it an [=MoA=].