Law & Order (TV Series)
Genius (2003)
Fred Thompson: DA Arthur Branch
Quotes
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Jack McCoy : [the defendant has asked for the death penalty] I don't know who was more shocked, Simpkis or me.
D.A. Arthur Branch : Yup, what fun is it hitting someone who won't hit back?
Jack McCoy : I never really thought of this as an exercise in fun, Arthur.
A.D.A. Serena Southerlyn : [approaching] Brace yourself for professor Simpkins' motions.
Jack McCoy : A motion to quash the agreed-upon sentence.
A.D.A. Serena Southerlyn : On the grounds that Warner isn't competent to negotiate on his own behalf.
Jack McCoy : He wants to die, so he's got to be crazy.
A.D.A. Serena Southerlyn : I've arranged for Skoda to examine him.
D.A. Arthur Branch : [to Jack] And you say this isn't fun.
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D.A. Arthur Branch : It would've been easier if Warner had taken a chainsaw to a family of four.
Jack McCoy : Why?
D.A. Arthur Branch : Because you're a human. And humans can't help but judge other humans.
Jack McCoy : That would be just as wrong as treating Warner differently because he can string together sentences better than the rest of us. The quality of the victim should not matter any more than the quality of his killer.
D.A. Arthur Branch : I said it'd be easier, not more just.
Jack McCoy : It's good, Arthur. He can write.
D.A. Arthur Branch : You want the easy answer? Just words on a page.
Jack McCoy : And the more difficult one?
D.A. Arthur Branch : [holding up a copy of the penal code] So are these.
Jack McCoy : The death penalty is the most severe punishment the law allows. I got to admit, it's disconcerting that Warner thinks it's less severe than going to prison.