God's Not Dead 2 (2016)

Ernie Hudson: Judge Robert Stennis

Photos 

Quotes 

• Tom Endler : [from trailer]  If we're going to insist that a Christian's right to believe is subordinate to all the rights, then it's *not* a right!

  Judge Stennis : Mr. Endler, you are out of order, I charge you with CONTEMPT!

  [breaks his hammer] 

  Tom Endler : I accept the charges!

• Judge Stennis : Young lady, your youth is no excuse for disturbing the sanctity of this court.

  Brooke Thawley : But this case is supposed to be about me. I'm almost 17 years old; it's not like I can't think for myself. I just don't have the right to speak.

  Catherine Thawley : Brooke, what are you doing?

  Judge Stennis : Not unless you are called as a witness, young lady.

  Tom Endler : [quietly to Grace]  If I put her on the stand, what am I gonna hear?

  Grace Wesley : That she asked a question and I answered it.

  Tom Endler : Your Honor, we'd like to call Ms. Brooke Thawley to the stand.

  Pete Kane : Objection, Your Honor! Ms. Thawley is a minor. Her parents do not want her subjected to the emotional pressure of testifying against her own teacher.

  Judge Stennis : Ms. Thawley, are you willing to testify on your own behalf?

  Brooke Thawley : Yes, Your Honor.

  Judge Stennis : And do you understand that you will have to answer all the questions truthfully, regardless of your feelings, and that failure to do so is punishable by law?

  Brooke Thawley : Yes, Your Honor. I'm not afraid of telling the truth. I'm only afraid of not being able to tell it.

• Pete Kane : Your Honor, we'd like to challenge for cause.

  Judge Stennis : Why is that?

  Pete Kane : Oh, Your Honor, the man's an ordained minister. Need I say more?

  Judge Stennis : The juror is excused.

  Tom Endler : Objection, Your Honor.

  Judge Stennis : Basis, Mr. Endler?

  Tom Endler : Discriminatory, Your Honor. Preemptory challenges cannot be used to discriminate against a certain class of juror based on race, ethnic background, religion, or gender. And the fact that religious belief is tangential to this case doesn't change that.

  Judge Stennis : Upon further reflection, I find the respondent's assertion is correct. Sustained.

  [meaning Grace] 

  Judge Stennis : You're not her pastor, are you?

  Rev. Dave : Uh... no, Your Honor.

  Pete Kane : Your Honor, I must protest here.

  Judge Stennis : Mr. Kane, now, you had a set number of preemptory challenges, all of which you have used. Therefore, it's up to opposing counsel.

  Tom Endler : We accept him, Your Honor.

  Judge Stennis : Welcome to the jury, sir. Henceforth, juror number twelve. I hope you enjoy your service to the community.

  Rev. Dave : [disappointed]  Better chance of being struck by lightning.

• Tom Endler : Mrs. Rizzo, in the school's initial inquiry into this matter, you were Ms. Wesley's representative on behalf of the teacher's union, were you not?

  Mrs. Rizzo : Yes.

  Tom Endler : And did you ever consider that your disapproval of her faith might taint your ability to represent her properly?

  Pete Kane : Objection, speculative.

  Judge Stennis : Sustained.

  Rev. Dave : [one of his fellow jurors sneezes]  God bless you.

  Tom Endler : Careful, or you might end up on trial.

• Pete Kane : Mrs. Rizzo, did Ms. Wesley talk about faith issues on the school campus?

  Mrs. Rizzo : All the time. Everybody knows she's a Christian. I don't think she'd chew a stick of gum without praying first. It makes everyone feel awkward.

  Pete Kane : Thank you. No further questions, Your Honor.

  Judge Stennis : Your witness, Mr. Endler.

  Tom Endler : Mrs. Rizzo, you stated that Ms. Wesley talks about her faith all the time. I'm curious, can you give me a specific instance?

  Mrs. Rizzo : Well, not off the top of my head.

  Tom Endler : Well, has she, as far as you're aware, ever started her class with a prayer?

  Mrs. Rizzo : No.

  Tom Endler : Has she ever asked anyone in the teacher's lounge to pray with her?

  Mrs. Rizzo : No.

  Tom Endler : Has she ever asked you personally to pray with her?

  Pete Kane : Objection, Your Honor.

  Mrs. Rizzo : No.

  Pete Kane : Cumulative. The question has effectively been asked and answered.

  Tom Endler : Your Honor, Mrs. Rizzo's sworn testimony states that Ms. Wesley talked about her faith all the time, yet she's failed to cite a single instance. I'm merely trying to discover some basis for her opinion.

  Judge Stennis : Sustained. Mr. Endler, we're done with this line of questioning.

• Pete Kane : Mr. Thawley, how did you feel when you found out that your daughter had been exposed to faith-based teachings in class?

  Richard Thawley : Well, it felt like we had been violated. I mean, this was supposed to be a history class, not Sunday school. My wife and I are free thinkers. We're rationalists. We believe in a non-theistic worldview, and that's how we were trying to raise our daughter.

  Pete Kane : Uh-huh. And did you discuss this incident with your daughter?

  Richard Thawley : Well, I tried, but it's hard discussing anything with kids that age. She's 16. Some of you know what that's like.

  [laughter from the gallery] 

  Richard Thawley : It's hard enough trying to maintain credibility as a parent without a teacher jumping in and arguing against your position. Now, we trust the school not to overstep its bounds in terms of what is and what isn't appropriate. Is that too much to ask?

  Pete Kane : No. Thank you, Mr. Thawley. That's all, Your Honor.

  Judge Stennis : Your witness, Mr. Endler.

  Tom Endler : No questions, Your Honor.

• Tom Endler : In your orientation at the beginning of the semester, your memo to the staff stressed diversity and tolerance, did it not?

  Principal Kinney : Yes.

  Tom Endler : Well, would it be fair to say that except for Christianity, all other forms of diversity are welcome?

  Pete Kane : Objection! Your Honor!

  Tom Endler : I will withdraw the question.

  Judge Stennis : Mr. Endler, you seem to have a penchant for injecting commentary where it doesn't belong. You would do well to avoid further provocation of this court.

  Tom Endler : I apologize, Your Honor. I'll look to curtail it in the future.

• Bailiff : All rise.

  Judge Stennis : [sitting down at the bench]  You may be seated.

  [Pastor Dave remains standing] 

  Judge Stennis : Juror number 12, is there something you'd like to say?

  Rev. Dave : I'm sorry, Your Honor, I gotta...

  Judge Stennis : [Dave collapses]  Bailiff, call paramedics.

  Pete Kane : [to his second chair]  Well, I guess that proves there is no God, 'cause they just lost the only juror they could count on.

• Tom Endler : Ms. Kinney, can you tell me the full name of the high school over which you preside?

  Principal Kinney : Doctor Martin Luther King Junior Memorial High School.

  Tom Endler : I noticed that the name fails to mention Dr. King's title as Reverend Doctor.

  Principal Kinney : It's his work in the field of civil rights that we prefer to highlight.

  Tom Endler : But that's the whole point. You consider his faith and politics to be separate things, but I don't, and he certainly wouldn't have.

  Pete Kane : Objection, Your Honor. Counsel is testifying.

  Judge Stennis : Sustained. Jury's instructed to ignore Mr. Endler's preceding remarks.

• Tom Endler : Ms. Kinney, are you familiar with Dr. King's letter from the Birmingham Jail?

  Principal Kinney : Yes, it's a seminal piece of civil rights history.

  Tom Endler : In that letter, Dr. King makes numerous faith-based references, does he not?

  Principal Kinney : Offhand, I don't recall.

  Tom Endler : Allow me to refresh your memory. He cites the example of the three youths from the Book of Daniel who were tossed into the fiery furnace by King Nebuchadnezzar because they refused to worship him. Elsewhere, he urges action with Jesus, and here, I quote, "Extremist love." And in his speech "I've Been to the Mountaintop," he stated that he just wanted to do God's will. Is this coming back to you now?

  Principal Kinney : Yes.

  Tom Endler : In your opinion, would Ms. Wesley, had she chosen to do so, have been allowed to present the examples that I just mentioned in her class?

  Pete Kane : Objection. Speculative.

  Judge Stennis : I'm going to allow it. Overruled. Witness may answer.

  Principal Kinney : No. If it were up to me, she would not have been allowed.

  Tom Endler : Why not?

  Principal Kinney : Because those examples are too closely associated with faith.

  Tom Endler : In other words, they're... they're facts, but they're just facts that are too dangerous for discussion?

  Principal Kinney : The word I would use would be "controversial".

  Tom Endler : But aren't facts just facts? I mean, there's nothing controversial about two plus two equaling four, or E=MC squared, or the date man landed on the moon. So, why the controversy about these facts?

  Principal Kinney : I think the fact that we're all here today speaks for itself.

• Judge Stennis : Mr. Endler, are you looking to change your client's plea?

  Tom Endler : No, Your Honor. I say she's innocent of all wrongdoing. But I'm asking the jury to find against her anyway. I mean, let's... let's face it. She has the audacity to believe not only that there is a God, but that she has a personal relationship with Him, which colors everything that she says and does. I think it's time that we stop pretending that we can trust a person like this to serve in a public capacity. In the name of tolerance and diversity, I say we destroy her.

  Judge Stennis : That's enough, Mr. Endler.

  Tom Endler : Then we can all go to our graves content, knowing that we stomped out the last spark of faith that was ever exhibited in the public square.

  Judge Stennis : [banging his gavel]  That's enough, Mr. Endler.

  Tom Endler : I say we make an example of her.

  Judge Stennis : Mr. Endler, that's enough.

  Tom Endler : Let's set a new precedent, that employment by our federal government mandates that you must first denounce any belief system you have.

  Judge Stennis : Mr. Endler, that is enough! You are out of order.

  Tom Endler : And if someone slips through the cracks and-and... and hides behind their beliefs, then we arrest them and fine them. And if they don't pay, then we seize their property. And if they resist... well, let's not kid ourselves. Enforcement is always at the end of a gun.

• Pete Kane : Do you think there's any possibility that in answering your question, she may have tried to share some of the ideas of her faith, a faith that she holds most dear?

  Brooke Thawley : No, uh, no, not at that moment.

  Pete Kane : Not at that moment. You mean to say that there were other moments in which she talked to you about her faith?

  [the courtroom notices her react] 

  Pete Kane : Hmm? Ms. Thawley, please?

  Judge Stennis : You must answer the question, Ms. Thawley.

  Brooke Thawley : Yes, but it was outside of school and it was only one time.

  Tom Endler : Move to strike. Your Honor, this is irrelevant. No actions off the school campus are at issue here.

  Judge Stennis : Denied. Mr. Kane seems to have found a loose thread. I'm inclined to let him pull it. See what unravels.

  Pete Kane : Thank you, Your Honor.

  Tom Endler : [quietly to Grace]  Why didn't you tell me about this?

  Grace Wesley : You didn't ask, and I didn't think it mattered.

• Tom Endler : Your Honor, I have one final witness to call. Grace Wesley.

  Judge Stennis : Ms. Wesley, please approach the witness stand.

  Grace Wesley : Do I have to?

  Judge Stennis : I'm afraid so.

  Tom Endler : Your Honor, given the witness's reluctance to testify, can I have the court's permission to treat her as a hostile witness?

  Judge Stennis : You may. Proceed at your own peril.

• Judge Stennis : My instructions to you are simple. Uphold the law without unfairly prejudicing your decision or risking a mistrial on appeal. Now, I believe I can safely say that the respondent's counsel has dared you to convict his own client. The jury will now be dismissed for deliberation. We are adjourned.

• Pete Kane : Detective Wallace, I'm not gonna try to match biblical knowledge with you. But isn't it true that these gospel accounts vary widely in what they say, that there are numerous discrepancies between these accounts?

  Jim Warner Wallace : Absolutely, but that's exactly what we should expect.

  Pete Kane : I don't quite understand that.

  Jim Warner Wallace : Well, reliable eyewitness accounts always differ slightly in the way they recall the story. They're coming to it from different geographic perspectives, their history, even where they are located in the room. When I examined the gospels, I was trying to determine if these were accurate, reliable accounts, in spite of any differences there might be between the accounts.

  Pete Kane : Ah, and as a devout Christian, you feel you succeeded?

  Jim Warner Wallace : Ah, Mr. Kane. I think you misunderstand me. When I began this study, I was a devout atheist. I began examining the gospels as a committed skeptic, not as a believer. You see, I wasn't raised in a Christian environment, although I do think I have an unusually high regard for the value of evidence. I'm not a Christian because I was raised that way or because I hoped it would satisfy some need or accomplish some goal. I'm simply a Christian because it's evidentially true.

  Pete Kane : Motion to strike, Your Honor.

  Judge Stennis : Granted. Jury's instructed to ignore Detective Wallace's last remarks.

  Pete Kane : No further questions.