- F. Lee Bailey: [about Mark Fuhrman] It's hard to be hated by both sides. It takes a man of certain character.
- F. Lee Bailey: [with Cochran in North Carolina, trying to get an appellate court to release the Fuhrman tapes] Mr. Cochran, take a good look at where you're standing. We're in the South. Haven't you noticed the smell of mint julep and condescension in the air? Right behind you, there's a statue of a Confederate soldier with a rifle. With all due respect, I don't know if you play as well in Dixie.
- Marcia Clark: Your Honor, can we curtail this performance piece? The witness has already made clear that he will not answer any further questions.
- Johnnie Cochran: Actually, Your Honor, may I ask just one last question?
- [Ito nods as a yes]
- Johnnie Cochran: Thank you... Oh. Detective Fuhrman... did you plant or manufacture any evidence in this case?
- Detective Mark Fuhrman: I assert my Fifth Amendment privilege.
- Johnnie Cochran: No further questions, Your Honor.
- [after learning the Fuhrman tapes mention Peggy York, Judge Ito's wife]
- Johnnie Cochran: We are in perilous waters. The prosecution can manipulate this situation. Marcia and Chris are in trouble, their case is dying. Suddenly, they get thrown a life preserver, "Peggy" on tape. So, they game it, Ito gets tossed for the conflict, they get a new trial.
- [slams hand down on table]
- F. Lee Bailey: Jesus, a complete do-over.
- Robert Kardashian: W-Wait a minute, try the case again? We-we can't, we can't live through this again!
- Johnnie Cochran: And they could move the trial back to Santa Monica, get a white jury.
- F. Lee Bailey: And this time, they don't call Fuhrman, the LAPD doesn't get tarnished and the tapes never get played.
- Johnnie Cochran: The scenario is *unthinkable*. We are *this* close to them being admitted!
- [beat]
- Johnnie Cochran: Does Ito even know yet?
- [Ito speaking in open court to the problem of Fuhrman speaking against his wife on tape]
- Judge Lance Ito: A concern has been raised that regarding the court's ability to be fair and impartial. It could be argued that the court would not want the court's wife to be embarrassed. And what's unfortunate is that things are said about people all the time, things that are not accurate, not kind, disparaging. I love my wife dearly and I am... wounded by any criticism of her, as any spouse would be. And uh, I think it would be reasonable to assume that... that could have some impact. Women who work in male-dominated professions, I think, are tougher than most. And if they are successful, they are almost always... targets for this kind of treatment. There is also an argument that this court, in ruling, might be motivated to punish Detective Fuhrman for making these statements about his wife. So it cuts both ways. This may be a conflict for me, which could trigger a mistrial, so... I think that another judge has to determine whether or not this case can remain before this court.
- [Lee Bailey is speaking to the North Carolina court after Johnnie's unsuccessful attempt]
- F. Lee Bailey: Your Honors, may I state first of all what a pleasure it is to be practicing law once again in the great state of North Carolina. My heart gladdens with the promise of justice when I stand in one of the original 13 colonies. From the great Smokey Mountains to the Pamlico Sound, I know that fair consideration will be offered to all who set foot in a Tar Heel tribunal. As the Bible tells us, "Seek, and ye shall find," and I thank the Lord for helping us to find these terribly troubling tapes.
- [Johnnie and Lee have just read the Fuhrman transcripts in North Carolina]
- Johnnie Cochran: It's unbelievable. It's horrible.
- F. Lee Bailey: Horrible we can sell. Look, the bastard is nailed. Dead. He directly contradicts the trap I laid when he testified.
- Johnnie Cochran: Lee... it's more than that. It's evil. But this is what black people have always known. And now it's right here.
- [taps on binders]
- Johnnie Cochran: For everyone to hear.
- Gil Garcetti: Has Ito ruled on the tapes?
- Marcia Clark: Not yet. And we're fighting to keep them out. But while we were reviewing them, we heard something... unexpected. You should sit. This is bad.
- Gil Garcetti: No, I know. He hates Mexicans, he uses the "N"-word, he's a sexist pig. He utters every racial slur known to man.
- Marcia Clark: Yes, all of that is true, but there's sort of an O. Henry twist. Somebody he hates that none of us saw coming.
- Gil Garcetti: Okay.
- Detective Mark Fuhrman: [on tape] I hate this woman, you know the type... dyed blonde, one-inch roots, slumped shoulders, a pouch big enough to hide cats in. She's the only marsupial on the police force. Peggy barely worked in the field.
- Gil Garcetti: Wait, whoa. Peggy? Is he talking about Peggy York, Ito's WIFE?
- Detective Mark Fuhrman: [on tape] It sickens me that she's a captain. I refuse to take orders from her. She's as far from a policeman as I've seen. Hell, she's as far from a woman as I've seen. She just sucked and f...
- Gil Garcetti: [slams stop on the tape player; in disbelief] What did he just say?
- Christopher Darden: He says that she sucked...
- Gil Garcetti: Is he saying that -- that... Oh, I cannot believe this! Jesus! Our star witness insulting the judge's wife!
- Marcia Clark: Yes, not only does Fuhrman hate blacks, he hates Peggy York, the highest ranking woman in the LAPD.
- Gil Garcetti: Didn't she sign the affidavits?
- Marcia Clark: Sure, when Ito was assigned to the case, Peggy claimed she had no memory of any dealings with Fuhrman. Which seems hard to believe since we learned she reprimanded him for writing "KKK" on a Martin Luther King poster.
- Gil Garcetti: Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. So, which means that she can be called as a material witness, in which case Ito has to disqualify himself, which means we're looking at a mistrial! That's $6 million of taxpayers' money. One year of work. We're looking at a mistrial? Shit, the constituents will freak out! This screams gross incompetence.