First appearance of Candice Bergen as Judge Amanda Anderlee, she reprises this role in three future episodes of Law & Order: Trial by Jury (2005):
Vincent Laresca (Feo Ruiz) previously played the role of Danny In episode 2.17, Sisters of Mercy (1992).
This episode appears to be based on two separate cases/incidents:
- The Aryan Brotherhood prison gang.
- The 2003 Matthew Hale case involving federal judge Joan Lefkow.