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The West Wing
S5.E17
All episodesAll
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

The Supremes

  • Episode aired Mar 24, 2004
  • TV-14
  • 41m
IMDb RATING
9.2/10
1.1K
YOUR RATING
Milo O'Shea in The West Wing (1999)
Drama

A Supreme Court Justice dies, forcing the administration's hand on picking a desirable replacement who can be confirmed by a hostile Congress.A Supreme Court Justice dies, forcing the administration's hand on picking a desirable replacement who can be confirmed by a hostile Congress.A Supreme Court Justice dies, forcing the administration's hand on picking a desirable replacement who can be confirmed by a hostile Congress.

  • Director
    • Jessica Yu
  • Writers
    • Aaron Sorkin
    • Debora Cahn
    • Josh Singer
  • Stars
    • Dulé Hill
    • Allison Janney
    • Joshua Malina
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    9.2/10
    1.1K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Jessica Yu
    • Writers
      • Aaron Sorkin
      • Debora Cahn
      • Josh Singer
    • Stars
      • Dulé Hill
      • Allison Janney
      • Joshua Malina
    • 7User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos11

    Martin Sheen in The West Wing (1999)
    William Fichtner in The West Wing (1999)
    Glenn Close in The West Wing (1999)
    Glenn Close and William Fichtner in The West Wing (1999)
    Richard Schiff and Bradley Whitford in The West Wing (1999)
    Glenn Close in The West Wing (1999)
    Glenn Close and Martin Sheen in The West Wing (1999)
    Glenn Close in The West Wing (1999)
    The West Wing (1999)
    The West Wing (1999)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Dulé Hill
    Dulé Hill
    • Charlie Young
    Allison Janney
    Allison Janney
    • C.J. Cregg
    Joshua Malina
    Joshua Malina
    • Will Bailey
    Janel Moloney
    Janel Moloney
    • Donna Moss
    Richard Schiff
    Richard Schiff
    • Toby Ziegler
    John Spencer
    John Spencer
    • Leo McGarry
    Bradley Whitford
    Bradley Whitford
    • Josh Lyman
    Martin Sheen
    Martin Sheen
    • President Josiah Bartlet
    Glenn Close
    Glenn Close
    • Chief Justice Evelyn Baker Lang
    Jesse Bradford
    Jesse Bradford
    • Ryan Pierce
    William Fichtner
    William Fichtner
    • Justice Christopher Mulready
    Lily Tomlin
    Lily Tomlin
    • Deborah Fiderer
    Mitchell Ryan
    Mitchell Ryan
    • Senator Roland Pierce
    Milo O'Shea
    Milo O'Shea
    • Chief Justice Roy Ashland
    Melissa Marsala
    Melissa Marsala
    • Rina
    Kathleen York
    Kathleen York
    • Andrea Wyatt
    Deirdre Lovejoy
    Deirdre Lovejoy
    • Lisa Wolfe
    Robert Picardo
    Robert Picardo
    • E. Bradford Shelton
    • Director
      • Jessica Yu
    • Writers
      • Aaron Sorkin
      • Debora Cahn
      • Josh Singer
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Final acting role of Milo O'Shea.
    • Goofs
      The characters state that there is no liberal on the court. In the first season Bartlett put Justice Mendoza on the bench, who was quite liberal. If for some reason Mendoza had left the bench, Bartlett would have appointed another liberal, so no matter what there would have been a democrat on the bench.
    • Quotes

      Justice Christopher Mulready: So why a racial preference and not an economic one?

      Charlie Young: Because affirmative action is about a legacy of racial oppression.

      Justice Christopher Mulready: It's about compromising admission standards.

      Charlie Young: That's bull. Excuse me. It's about leveling the playing field after 300 years...

      Justice Christopher Mulready: See, this is where the liberal argument goes off the tracks. You get stuck in the past. Now, you want to come back at me with "Grading is based on past performance, but admissions should be based on potential, on how a candidate may thrive with this sort of opportunity, and studies show that affirmative action admits have a higher predisposition to contribute to society"

      Charlie Young: Hang on, I've gotta write this down.

    • Connections
      Referenced in Jeopardy!: Episode #22.196 (2006)
    • Soundtracks
      Stay
      (uncredited)

      Written by Maurice Williams

      Performed by Jesse Bradford

    User reviews7

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    Perfect episode
    If a better hour of television exist I have not seen it . It's tightly scripted over a single topic of the Supreme Court. The clever maneuvering to make satisfying to all involved is what Josh Lyman must accomplish and it's no minor accomplishment. Without going into the entire episode as no one can do it complete justice ( certainly not me) Josh in particular and the staff navigate the egos and genuine concerns of those involved trying to get the right combination of idealism and practicality to make the most important of decisions and they do! With a little help from Donna ( who inadvertently) gives Josh the idea for a genius move. The humor is interwoven into the script is Sorkin at his best with a serious topic it's not tacked on it simply threaded in naturally.

    Glenn Close adds to the overall sublime experience.
    helpful•6
    1
    • kellielulu
    • Sep 14, 2022

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 24, 2004 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Filming locations
      • Stage 23, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • John Wells Productions
      • Warner Bros. Television
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      41 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.78 : 1

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