♪
[loud sipping]
[elevator bell dings]
Okay, runway model, you look fantastic.
What's different?
Gee, thanks.
You know what I mean.
Something's going on.
Maybe I'm just having a good day.
[gasps] Oh, my God.
-You got a Birkin. -It's no big deal.
It is absolutely a big deal. Is this a Bianca hand-me-down?
No.
Why? Does it look... does it look used?
No, it looks gorgeous.
Are your hands clean?
So, wait-- did you buy this?
Yeah, I-I... I wanted one.
Everybody wants one, like a yacht or a pony.
Ooh, it's the swivel latch. I love the swivel latch.
How do you know so much about Birkins?
I was raised around rich people.
Ooh, saddle stitching.
So, wait, where did you buy this?
At a... a... sample sale.
Really? Well, you're lucky you didn't get scammed.
-What do you mean? -Well, if it were counterfeit,
the feet would screw off, but these don't.
See? They're hammered in.
-Huh. -[laughs softly]
[sing-songy]: Lucca has a Birkin.
I... Shh.
Thank you, Frank, for giving us another chance.
-[chuckles softly] -Uh, please.
We're not here about your firm, Adrian.
We are here about you.
-Me? -Yes.
-Did you watch the Democratic debates this year? -Yeah.
-Which one? [laughs] -Any of 'em.
[laughs] We started out with the most
diverse slate in our history, but come the end of January,
no candidate of color went the distance.
And that's something we need to correct.
Four years from now, we need an African-American candidate
that can go the distance.
I agree. So how can I help?
You can be that candidate.
Are you kidding me right now, Frank?
No. Look, we don't expect you to win,
but we want to groom you to stayon the stage until Iowa.
Black voters need to see themselves up there.
But you want me to run for president?
Yes.
Wow.
WOMAN: You're a fighter, but with gravitas.
LANDAU: We saw your punditry from last year. It was very good.
You spoke eloquently on issues that matter.
You seem very comfortable in your own skin.
You've made a name for yourselfon police brutality,
and that takes you awayfrom the Kamala Harris problem.
-And you're tall. -[chuckles] People like that.
But I've said some very controversial things, Frank.
You're not afraid to break the rules,
which is a good thing, because there's no rulebook anymore.
Donald Trump took it, burned itand took a shit on the ashes.
And if he wins in November, God help us,
we need to come back in 2024 with everything we've got.
Can I, um, think about this?
-Mm, of course. -WOMAN: But in the meantime,
-it's confidential. -Oh, absolutely.
Not a word to anybody.
Okay.
It's beyond confidential.
Not your mother, not your shrink, no one.
Okay.
They said what?
In 2024.
Oh, they don't expect me to win the nomination.
It's more about defining the future of the party...
You're the future of the party?
-You're jealous. -No, I am not.
-[laughs] -I j... just...
What are your positions?
Medicare for all? Section 1325
of the U.S. immigration code? Troops in Northeast Syria?
-Maybe you want to be my policy advisor, huh? -I'm the reason
the DNC came into this office in the first place.
And, unlike you, I have actuallyworked in government.
Mm, like "Kamela" Harris.
It's Kamala.Learn how to say her damn name.
And what, are you-are you saying
that former prosecutors are unelectable?
Or just black, female former prosecutors?
Congratulations.
Why, thank you.
I have to head to court.
Better work on your platform.
Huh.
Would it kill them to recruit a woman
every once in while?
[whistle blows]
ADRIAN: Melanie! Melanie!
Looking good.
My leg was starting to... cramp.
I need to... stretch it out more.
-You ready for court? -Not really.
Talk about butterflies.
You'll be fine, Melanie.
But look, I wanted to catch youbefore we go to court.
We're changing strategies.
We're what? Why?
Well, we think that, given the politics of the situation,
we have a better chance of success going with race.
Um... if that's what you think.
But look, nothing else has changed.
You are still the injured party here.
So what do I wear in court?
I was six when I learned to swim,
uh, which is late compared to the other girls.
Uh, there was no pool near me.
My mom would get me up quarter after 3:00,
get me to the pool by 5:00.
I'd work out till 7:00.
Then she'd have me at school by 8:00.
Uh, it was about an hour-and-a-half drive
each way, depending on traffic.
Did you have a private coach, Melanie?
No. Just my mom.
So even though you didn't have the advantages of your
teammates, you still made finalist on the Olympic team?
Objection. Relevance?
Overruled.
Try "counselor is testifying."
Counselor is testifying.
-Sustained. -ADRIAN: Melanie,
in 2019, was there a scheduled
qualifying meet for the Olympic trials?
-Yes. -And was that
-rescheduled for this year? -Yes.
-ADRIAN: Why was that? -Objection.
The witness was not the one
doing the rescheduling, Your Honor.
She's hardly in a position to know why.
I'm guessing she has an opinion.
As I am also guessing that your client,
the Olympic Committee, has an opinion,
-so, overruled. -[quietly]: Go ahead.
Uh, the meet was rescheduled to 2020
to give Sadie Lipton more time to train.
And Sadie Liptonis the swimmer who replaced you
-on the Olympic team? -Yes.
And Sadie Lipton is obviously white, right?
-MELANIE: Yes. -Okay, I got it.
Uh, is there any reason to believe
that race played a part in this decision?
I'm not someone who sees racism in everything,
but our team doctor, Dr. Ludovic--
he thought I couldn't hear him when he said:
black people's bones are denser than whites,
that elite swimmers need a low bone density,
so blacks were at a disadvantage.
All right, I'm getting it. Uh, thank you very much, dear.
Next?
NIA: As president
of U.S. Olympic Swimming,
what is your principle function?
Of course I'd like to think it was to inspire others,
but the truth is, my principlefunction is to lead by example.
And what was your reaction
when Dr. Ludovic's remarks about
African-American bone density
-got back to you? -I fired him that same day.
Is there racism on the U.S. Olympic Committee?
No. And if there were, I would weed it out.
Thank you. Nothing further.
-Mr. Pezner, what's Rule Number 50? -Oh, objection, Your Honor.
-I haven't even asked my question, sir! -Because Rule Number...
-It's got nothing to do with anything. -Wai... Uh, uh, uh, uh,
Hey, eh, eh, eh, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
Somebody want to clue the judge in here?
I mean, what is Rule 50?
PEZNER: It is the new rule
that prohibits political protests
by athletes at the Olympic Games.
Okay.
Counselor, connect the dots.
You knew, sir, did you not, that Melanie Evers had,
in the past, participated in political protests?
Listen, I am sympathetic to Black Lives Matter.
I am not interested in your sympathies, sir.
-I'm asking you if you knew. -Objection,
Your Honor. Badgering the witness.
Eh, but not much of a badger. Overruled.
-Yes. I knew. -And isn't that
the reason that you kicked her off the team?
She was not kicked off the team.
Her time was slower than the other swimmers.
Slower than Sadie Lipton by one-tenth
-of a second. -PEZNER: Which is slower.
You changed the rules, sir,
to let Sadie Lipton compete in 2020, and thereby
-replace our client, Melanie Evers. -NIA: Okay, when
did this become a debating society?
Uh, you know, I kind of like debates.
They-they often illuminate the truth.
Counselor, what remedy are you seeking?
For the Olympic Committee to abide by
its own rules and draw its competitors
from the swimmers who competed
in the 2019 meet.
Give me the afternoon.
Thank you, Your Honor.
That's it?
Yes.
I mean, who delivered it?
No one saw.
[sighs] Why didn't you ignore it?
Do you remember Judge Itzelitz?
Yeah, a few years ago.
There was, um, a bribery scandal?
Yeah. He was set up on a Big Pharma case.
He ignored Memo 618.
Now he drives an Uber.
Cases disappearing,
subpoenas discarded, judges expelled.
Who has this power?
Guess who got a Birkin bag.
Marissa.
Oh. Sorry. I'm sorry.
Hey, Julius.
[sighs]
Okay. That's what I know.
How about you?
Well, there was a manwaiting in my husband's office.
He warned him that I better back off.
-What man? -No name.
Kurt doesn't know how he got in.
-He was wearing this. -I...
I had a man waiting in my chambers.
No name. Also, a visitor's pass.
He... left this
if I wanted to talk.
What are you doing?
-Calling him. -Julius, are you serious?
In Proverbs, it's written:
"When justice is done,it brings joy to the righteous,
but terror to evildoers."
It's what I always believed.
Now I just have to enact it.
Hi.
Hello.
Where'd you put it, Lucca?
It's nothing special.
Gah!
-Oh, did you-did you get it at a sample sale? Where? -Were there any left?
-Were they-were-were they just Birkins? -Okay, I'm sorry.
There is no sample sale. I bought it at Hermès.
I'm just... I'm embarrassed.
MARISSA: Really?
Yeah, I treated myself. I...
I know. It's extravagant.
No. It's-it's a... good investment.
They do go up in value.
Yeah. Mm-hmm.
Good for you.
Okay.
It's just me now.
Did Bianca buy you that bag?
-No. -Then why are you being so cagey?
I'm not being cagey.
You are totally being cagey.
And I looked it up.
That Birkin costs, what, like...
-$20,000? -Jesus,
you are a one-woman surveillance state.
-Thank you. -I bought it
with what I won playing poker.
Holy fuck. So it really was a lot more than $1,500.
-A little more. -If this bag costs...
$20,000, you'd only buy it
if you knew you had a lot left over.
So...
$200,000?
Did you win $200,000?
More?
Let's not play this game.
-$500,000? -Marissa.
Fuck. A million?
[clears throat] Okay.
I have to get back to work.
And you don't tell anyone about this.
Okay, but you need to do something for me.
Talk to David Lee.
Why?
Your winnings. The taxes on them.
Did you win them from gambling?
And was it down in Saint Lucia?
That makes it all more complicated.
David is an asshole,
but he lives for this stuff.
Just talk to him.
BAILIFF: All rise.
BRICKNER: Okay.
No, no. No, you don't have to get up.
Uh, this shouldn't take very long.
I've already made my decision.
Your Honor, may we approach?
Uh, I was about to rule.
We have information that may impact your ruling.
BRICKNER: All right.
Come on. The more the merrier.
Your Honor, I feel the need to point out
the counterfeit nature of Mr. Boseman's pleadings.
-What the hell are you... Counterfeit? -The real issue
with Sadie Lipton being on the Olympic team
isn't that she's white--
it's that she's transgender.
-What are you talking about? -But to identify her
as such would entail
taking a political position
Mr. Boseman would rather not take.
-Your Honor... -Wait, wait, wait. She's a...
-What is she? -She was biologically
born male but
two years ago began transitioning to female.
And you were aware
that this swimmer was trans?
I was.
But I felt then, as now,
that our strongest case rests
-with racial discrimination. -Oh.
That's not what they were sayingwhen we were negotiating.
-They never mentioned race. -All right. Wait. [shushing]
So you're-you're saying that you're using race
because the politics works better for you?
That is unfair.
-But true. -Th... -All right, look,
here's what we're gonna do.
You're gonna have to make a decision, Counselor.
Race is not working for you so far.
-[chuckles] Okay. -But, you know,
if you want to amend your suit,
I'm all ears.
Counselor?
Okay.
We would like to amend our pleadings.
See?
Was that so hard?
-No, Your Honor. -No.
Okay. From race to trans, let's go.
["Hey Julie" by Fountains of Wayne playing]
♪ Working all day for a mean little man♪
♪ With a clip-on tie and a rub-on tan♪
♪ He's got me runnin' round the office♪
♪ Like a dog around a track♪
♪ But when I get back home♪
♪ You're always there to rub my back♪
♪ Hey, Julie, look what they're doing to me ♪
♪ Trying to trip me up, trying to wear me down♪
♪ Julie, I swear, it's so hard to bear it♪
♪ And I'd never make it through without you around♪
♪ No, I'd never make it through without you around♪
♪ Hours on the phone making pointless calls♪
♪ I got a desk full of paper that means nothing at all♪
♪ Sometimes I catch myself staring into space♪
♪ Counting down the hours till I get to see your face♪
♪ Hey, Julie, look what they're doing to me ♪
♪ Trying to trip me up♪
♪ Trying to wear me down♪
♪ Julie, I swear, it's so hard to bear it♪
♪ And I'd never make it through without you around♪
♪ No, I'd never make it through without you around♪
♪ Hey, Julie, look what they're doing to me ♪
♪ Trying to trip me up, trying to wear me down♪
♪ Julie, I swear, it's so hard to bear it♪
♪ And I'd never make it through without you around♪
♪ No, I'd never make it through without you around.♪
Liz. Liz, I need you to come down here.
They called you outon the trans issue, didn't they?
Yeah. I need you
-in court today. -Can you get
-someone else? -No.
You'll be more sensitive.
Plus, the optics are better.
It's a political minefield.
And you're a political person.
No, you're a political woman.
And I need a woman.
-Is this about your DNC stuff? -What?
-No. -Adrian.
Hey, you-you have that sound in your voice
-when you're lying. -Okay,
better for Melanie if she has a man
and a woman representing her.
Look, I got to go, Liz.
Thanks.
Hey. Morning.
-Hey. -Hey.
I was just coming to see you.
Yeah, we had a-a recess in court.
Ah. Mm.
-Mmm. -Mmm.
So...
I've thought about it,
and...
the answer is yes.
I'll move in.
[chuckles]
-That is great. -Yeah.
No, it isn't. What?
-No. -What happened?
No, this is great.
I...
Adrian.
What the fuck?
I'm sorry.
My mind is on something else right now.
[scoffs]
All right.
DNC came to my office this morning.
And they asked me-- I mean, this is bizarre--
they want me to run for president.
-[laughing] -I know.
-[laughs]: Wait. -[chuckles]
-I know, I know. -When?
2024.
Are they crazy?
Now, they don't think I'll become president.
They just want a black person up onstage and...
Ah. Okay, so they asking a lot of people.
You are really cutting into my self-esteem, Charlotte.
[laughs]
Oh.
[chuckles]
Now I get it. [chuckles]
What?
You don't want to move in together anymore.
You're worried about me.
You're worried about my "issues."
What issues?
The issues we don't discuss, Adrian.
The issues that'll be a problemfor your campaign.
Look, I don't even know if I'll do it.
You'll do it.
I can see it in your eyes.
If I do,
whatever your issues are
won't... impact it.
I swear.
Charlotte,
I swear.
Hey.
When can you move in?
How much of a windfall are we talking about?
This is just between us, right?
Oh, come on, Lucca.
I'm a lawyer. I say anything and I'm disbarred.
Do you want me to work for you or not?
-How much of a windfall? -A million.
And a half.
Is this windfall a gift?
No.
Well... yes.
$50,000 of it was.
But the rest are winnings.
A poker game.
So you want to know if it's taxable?
-Yeah. -It is.
However, there are strategies around that.
Are they legal?
They're rarely prosecuted.
I want to do what's legal.
And I need to invest what's left after taxes.
Where's the money now?
-Where is it? -Yes.
Bank account? Cashier's check?
-It's not in your freezer. -[chuckles]
No, I-I don't exactly have it yet.
You don't have it yet?
No. Not yet.
The other people in this game...
-They're deadbeats. -No.
They're rich.
-What? -Lucca, I work with the rich.
They promise everything. They give you nothing.
That's not who these women are.
Why, because they're rich and powerful?
The rich and powerful think they're God's gift
because everyone treats them like God's gift.
They get their hotel rooms comped.
They get gift rooms where they can take anything.
Their meals are bought by everybody else.
You already got your million and a half
in their smiles, in their charms.
-That's your winnings. -N... Uh, no.
That-that can't be.
You have an I.O.U. or a promissory note?
Okay, call 'em up and ask 'em for your money.
I can't do that.
Exactly, and they know that.
Look, just don't buy anything until you get the money.
-Okay? -[door closes]
Thanks for doing this.
Mr. Pezner,
could you explain how a trans woman qualifies
to swim on the women's Olympic team?
Well, first, she must make a declaration
-that she is a female. -Oh.
So, as-as long as you have standards.
Objection.
Uh, my guess is
that counselor was being sarcastic.
But, just in case, sustained.
The athlete has to maintain a testosterone level
below ten nanomoles per liter for 12 months.
And that's what the trans swimmer,
-Sadie Lipton, had? -Yes.
Now isn't it true that most women have testosterone levels
way below that,
at around, uh,
1.7 nanomoles per liter?
That's less than one-fifth of that cutoff.
I don't know.
LIZ: So why exactly
would the U.S. Olympic team
set the ceilings for testosterone levels
so much higher than the level of biological women
and-and closer to testosterone levels of men?
We are simply complying with international guidelines.
And-and not because you want men
to be able to compete on the team?
NIA: Objection, Your Honor.
Offensive.
I'm not the sensitivity police,
and this is a pertinent question,
so I'll allow it.
Uh, it has been established herethat you delayed
the qualifying meet for, uh, two months.
-The swimmers needed more time to train. -Uh, isn't it true
that without that delay, Sadie Lipton
wouldn't have qualified for the Olympics?
Her times were consistently excellent.
Yes, but her testosterone levels
wouldn't have otherwise been low enough
long enough.
Without that delay, she couldn't have met
the 12-month requirement.
I believe that's true.
So... the delay helped Sadie
a lot more than it helped anyone else.
Right?
PEZNER: That was not the intent.
LIZ: That's good to know.
[indistinct chatter]
JOSIAH: Hello, Julius.
-Hello. -[grunts]
You always wear the visitor badge?
JOSIAH: Oh.
[chuckles]: I'm always a visitor.
Sorry I'm late. I was glad to get your call.
We have a lot to discuss.
-You start. -Sure.
A rocket docket?
That's not quite what we were discussing.
What were we discussing?
[chuckles softly]
Let's see your cell phone.
-I'm not recording. -Yeah.
The rocket docket is not only unjust.
It works for the angry. I don't represent the angry.
Who do you represent?
People who like order and control.
-People in the government. -Maybe.
Now, here's a question for you.
Do you want to go further?
Do you want a seat on the circuit court?
That depends on what I have to do.
Stop with the adolescent rebellion.
No rocket docket.
When I say someone needs help, help him.
And if I don't?
Ah.
The two thorns in my side.
My husband says hello.
Here's the thing about melodramatic moves like this.
They never work.
Whenever I copy something I see in the movies,
I just get hurt.
Is that a threat?
I'll be seeing you two.
[chuckles softly]
You need to move.
That's him?
-[car lock beeps] -Yep.
Uh, get his license plate.
It's a new car. He doesn't have one.
-There he goes. There he goes. -Yeah.
I see, I see.
[horn honks]
Jesus, he drives like a maniac.
More like someone who's never gotten a ticket.
[horns honking]
Jesus.
He's speeding up.
It's not helping to narrate this, Marissa.
Someone's following us.
What?
-MARISSA: Who is that? -JAY: I don't know.
-Are they together? -I don't know.
Maybe they're gonna squeeze us.
-What is that? -He'll skid to a stop,
they'll close us in, and then they'll strafe us.
Stop talking.
[horn honks]
-Watch out! -Whoa!
[tires screech]
WOMAN: Fuck, fuck, fuck!
-Fuck you in the face, fuck! -Back up! Come on!
-Back up! -Get him to move! Get him to move!
He won't move. You need to back up.
-Fuck you. B-Bump his ass. -No. That's not gonna do it.
WOMAN: Fucking hellfire! What the fuck are you...
-You're in the fucking way! -MARISSA: Why are you
-swearing so much? -WOMAN: What?
Because you fucked everything up.
I had him, and now you're in the fucking way!
-Wait, you're not following us?-What?
[car door closes]
[engine starts]
[tires squealing]
[camera shutters clicking]
-Did you get it? -Uh, yeah.
We lost him.
He lost us. He was driving like a psychopath.
JAY: But there was something else. A woman was following us.
-Following you? Why? -JAY: She said she was following the guy,
too, and we got in the way.
We ran her plates.
Her name is Linda Shuck.
Do you have her address?
So...
are you in?
I have a question.
A question's good. Shoot.
I'm seeing someone.
-He or she? -She.
-Married? -No.
We're both single, consenting adults.
But...
She might have some...
...issues.
-What kind of issues? -Who is she?
I'd rather not say.
Fine. What issues?
A certain level of possible...
...corruption.
Get rid of her. Do it now.
Why?
LANDAU: You said there was corruption there.
There mightbe.
So find out for certain and show you want it.
Adrian, we want you,
but you have to want this.
And wanting it requires sacrifice.
Hello.
BIANCA: What do you think about this one?
I have no idea where I'm gonna put it,
-but I think I need it. -Yeah.
I've always heard you should walk away
from the thing you want, and if it's still on your mind
-the next day, then that means it's yours. -One day,
I'm gonna disavow you of your sensibleness.
So, what's up?
Nothing. I...
Just a question about last week.
St. Lucia? It was fun, wasn't it?
I'm fairly sure I conjured this call.
You've been on my mind. We need a celebration dinner ASAP.
[chuckles] What are we celebrating?
Your poker skills.
And your newfound wealth.
Ha! Dinner's on you.
Okay.
[phone beeps]
[exhales]
Dr. Lola Pell. Chief endocrinologist
at University of Chicago.
I study hormones.
Thank you for testifying, Doctor.
Now, the U.S. Olympic Committeeis using testosterone
to decide who is a man and who is a woman in sports.
-What's your opinion of that? -We're talking sex,
-not gender, yes? -BRICKNER: Well, how are we describing
-the difference? -Sex is about
the biological differences between men and women.
Gender is about personal identity.
Okay, I got it. Uh, you can answer.
Testosterone is a flawed way to determine sex in sports.
Trans women are born male.
They've gone through male puberty.
As a result, they have longer limbs,
bigger heart and lungs,
maybe even better muscle memory.
In elite sports,
just a one percent advantage
can make a huge difference.
So, even after lowering someone's testosterone level,
they still aren't exactly playing
on a level playing field with women born as women?
-Exactly. -Thank you. Thank you.
Dr. Pell, you've stated here
that testosterone levels are an imperfect gauge of sex.
But can you identify a better one?
Given where we are in medicine right now,
no.
NIA: Thank you.
BRICKNER:Okay, counselors, anything else?
-Okay, Liz... -BRICKNER: Redirect?
No. You do it.
-Liz. -You do it.
Dr. Pell, you said
that testosterone is the most accurate
and objective test of sex.
What about genitalia?
Wouldn't deciding based on that
be just as accurate and objective?
Yes, it's an objective factor.
And if the criteria were genitalia,
where would this new swimmer, Sadie Lipton, land?
On the men's team.
Objection. Hypothetical.
The question has already been answered.
I'm just trying to understand
-what everybody is saying. -ADRIAN: Your Honor,
the transgender swimmer, Sadie Lipton,
has male genitalia.
-Seriously? -ADRIAN: Yeah.
A penis?
And he's swimming
-as a woman? -With all due respect, Your Honor,
Sadie Lipton is a woman
and should be referred to as "she."
But she was a he?
And now he...
uh, sheis swimming as a woman?
The judge is on our side.
Don't you think?
Uh, it was effective.
We're gonna win this.
-What's going on? -LEAH: It's a petition signed
-by the associates. -And the assistants.
People are pissed off,
so we decided to respectfully express our displeasure
with your smear of a transgender swimmer.
No more transphobia.
-No more transphobia. -[overlapping chatter]
No more. It's not okay. No more.
LEAH: You're attacking an oppressed minority.
And we think Reddick/Boseman,
of all firms, should know better.
-I understand. -Then why are you doing it?
Because it's a strategy.
Hate isn't a strategy.
-This is not hate. -OPAL: You can't pit
women's rights against trans rights.
There is an epidemic of transgender violence.
Especially women of color getting attacked and murdered.
Right. But Melanie Evers is the victim in this instance.
And we are fighting for her rights
because Melanie Evers is our client.
Now, here'sa young African American athlete
who has worked her whole life for this,
and now someone just-just takes it away from her?
But I don't think that means that we should...
-[overlapping chatter] -No, no, no, no, no.
Wait a second, now, look, now, look.
We-we-we appreciate your input,
and we will take your opinions into consideration.
What we will not do is abandon Melanie Evers
or this case.
We need to rethink.
Why? Because of this?
No.
[scoffs]
Because they're right.
This is generational, Adrian.
They get this better than we do.
Liz, I've won awards from organizations
covering every one of the letters
-LGBTQ. -And that is
the transgender equivalent of "I got a black friend."
What are our options?
You reframe Melanie's case as a...
a feminist issue.
And we leave out the anti-trans tone.
That's, that's the right approach.
Not if it means we lose, Liz.
Now, this is not about politics.
This is about rules.
Are the Olympic rules fair or not?
That's all.
In life, that's never all.
So I heard you ended up buying the Birkin.
How did you hear that?
I know the shopkeeper.
I may have asked them to give you a discount.
I'm still wrapping my mind
around how much I spent on it.
[laughs]
Buyer's remorse.
More like a delayed sticker shock.
You know what's great?
It's not just a purse.
It's an announcement.
-An obnoxious announcement. -Oh, come on.
How many black women do you know that own a Birkin?
Let's be obnoxious for once.
Ooh!
We did some damage.
Glad this one's on you.
Did you... get your winnings
-from the game? -[laughs]
I didn't win.
Not like you did.
[chuckles]
[exhales]
CHARLOTTE: Tickets to the Bulls.
I didn't know you were a fan.
Judge O'Hare thought I was after endorsing him
-for the bench. -[pouring]
-What else? -Uh...
friends and family discount
at Neiman Marcus.
There was a, a zoning issue.
That's where I got this.
Looks... very pretty on you.
[laughs]
Um...
Oh, I got Judge Woodbent
a speaking engagement on a murder mystery cruise
after a favorable ruling.
"A murder mystery cruise"?
His wife loved it.
That's it, right?
Presided over a heroin arrest.
Substitute teacher, sent her to rehab.
Her father was a Mercedes dealer.
-Uh-huh. -I got a lease.
-No money down. -Ah.
And I bought shares in a tech stock
before the IPO was announced.
The CEO was going
through an ugly divorce.
I knew the judge.
He told me when to sell.
Right before it tanked.
[sighs] So...
do I pass muster?
[laughs, grunts]
Mmm.
♪
Charlotte?
-Hey, Charlotte. -Mm.
What about the memo?
Hmm?
The one that Julius asked you about.
How come you didn't...
mention it tonight?
Because it won't be a problem.
Why not?
[sighs quietly]
Because it's the solution.
Sadie Lipton. I'm a swimmer.
NIA:Could you tell us what swimmingmeans to you, Sadie?
I was four years old when I first got in a pool,
and it was magic.
Outside of the pool, on land,
I felt like everything was wrong.
I felt so stuck.
In a-a body that didn't feel like mine.
I didn't feel right in the rest of the world,
but in the water I had grace and strength.
I belonged.
How has the swimming community handled your transition?
Most swimmers have seen how hard I've worked
at my swimming, at owning who I am, and,
of course, at following all the rules.
And you have, indeed, followed allthe rules
to qualify for competition?
Absolutely. And it wasn't easy.
When I compete in Tokyo, it looks like I'll be
the first trans athlete in the Olympics.
Do you feel you have a physicaladvantage because you're trans?
Every great athlete has unusual features.
No one says it's unfair that Simone Biles is only
four-foot-eight, even though that's part of what makes her
an incredible gymnast.
It's only when someone is transthat people start calling
certain characteristics unfair.
Thank you. Nothing further.
[Liz clears throat]
Ms. Lipton, I first want to congratulate you
on all of your success,
and for making it onto the Olympic team.
Thanks.
Now, three years ago, wouldn't you agree
that it didn't seem very likely that you would be
heading to Tokyo?
I think it's hard to judge
three years out from a competition.
Well, at the, uh, World Aquatic Championships
in 2017, uh,
you, uh, actually didn't even place
in the top 20. Isn't that true?
Yes.
Uh, in fact, um...
Strike that.
Nothing further, Your Honor.
One second, Your Honor.
Sure. Take your time.
-Why not? -What are you doing? What are you doing?
You want this, you do it.
Uh, Ms. Lipton, just a couple more questions.
The following year,
at the championships in 2018,
you again finished outside the top 20, correct?
-Yes. -In fact,
it's only by swimming against women
that you get to go to the Olympics.
Is the plaintiff really arguingthat Ms. Lipton
identifies as a female just to swim in the Olympics?
I think he is.
And, uh, I'm gonna continue the questioning
if, if you don't.
Ms. Lipton, isn't it only because you compete as a woman
that you could qualify for the top five?
-I can train so much harder now that I'm happy. -Uh, excuse me.
Uh, could you repeat that? I didn't hear.
I can train harder now that I'm happy.
[dog barking]
♪
Okay.
Linda Shuck? I'm Diane Lockhart...
Yeah, I know who you are.
I think we have a common interest.
You don't know who the fuck I am?
I-- No.
You've seen me about a dozen times.
-Where? -In court.
I'm a court stenographer.
Oh, my gosh. No, I do know you.
-Yeah. -[dog barking nearby]
[door unlocking]
Come on in.
Oh, uh, wow.
You're a bit of a collector.
[sighs]: Yeah, well, I don't trust the Internet,
only paper, so...
This is every court caseI've ever worked on. [chuckles]
And this is every court case
from the rest of the courthouse.
And the bedroom is 1998 through last year.
[exhales sharply] Why?
Because someone is burying cases.
Memo 618?
Do you know who?
No. Do you?
I might.
Okay.
I don't see any reason why we can't work together.
How do I know I can trust you?
You can't, but...
I'm trusting you.
Okay, what do you want to know?
Who is doing this?
Memo 618. Who's using it?
The Office of Legal Counsel.
The Department of Justice?
Yes.
How do you figure it?
[bell chimes]
♪
♪ We're sorry that we've been away so long♪
♪ And now we know that what we did was wrong♪
♪ If it'll ease your apprehension♪
♪ We promise not to mention♪
♪ Censorship in China in this song♪
♪ Starting now♪ [clears throat]
♪ What is the Office of Legal Counsel?♪
♪ We love the Constitution, but it's just a basic map♪
♪ Sometimes at the edges you can find a little gap♪
♪ And when they want to sign an order♪
♪ To ensure legality♪
♪ The president picks up the phone♪
♪ And calls the OLC♪
♪ Then some lawyers get together♪
♪ And decide what they should say♪
♪ And they write it in a memo and they lock it away♪
♪ And then it's law, secret law♪
♪ You don't know, they won't tell you♪
♪ Secret law♪
♪ Free-thinking independent members of the bar♪
♪ Are not supposed to be political♪
♪ But, whoops, sometimes they are♪
♪ It'd be nice if the judicial branch♪
♪ Would get the chance to say♪
♪ If all the rules they make are kosher♪
♪ We just don't know either way♪
♪ It's a mystery wrapped in an enigma♪
♪ Made of fog♪
♪ It's the hidden hand that holds the tail♪
♪ That's wagging the dog♪
♪ And it's law, secret law♪
♪ You don't know, they won't tell you♪
♪ Secret law.♪
I went through every photo, every newsreel,
every bit of B-roll I could find
about the Office of Legal Counsel.
So, 1942,
the OLC justified FDR signing Executive Order 9066.
Uh, the Japanese internment camps?
Yeah. Look at the bill he signed.
I don't see anything.
I had to blow it up, like, 50 times.
This is Memo 618.
In 2002, John Yoo of the OLC drafted the "Torture Memos."
But before those memos came out,
this was Donald Rumsfeld at a press conference.
-What am I looking at? -I got a lip reader.
Look. Right there. He's saying it.
"We got it. Memo 618."
Now, in 2019, Robert Mueller insists a president
can't be indicted.
But there is never a law anywhere that said that.
Just an old memo written by the OLC in 1973.
It's never been reviewed, nevervetted in any court of law.
And before Mueller reached that decision, there was this.
So, the same lip reader, I got to do this, too.
"Well, sir, are you worried?"
"No, I have Memo 618 in my back pocket.
I'm gonna be great. I'm gonna be fine."
So, what is it?
What is Memo 618?
Well, it's when the presidency or Department of Justice knows
they need a law, but it just hasn't been drafted yet.
So they know they need an immediate order
to get what they want.
FDR knows
he wants to imprison Japanese-Americans,
Bush knows he needs to torture, uh,
Trump knew he wanted to not be indicted.
And they all knew that eventually
they were gonna need a law to support it, but
in the meantime, there's Memo 618.
MAN: All rise.
[sighs]
To be honest, I'm torn.
Ms. Evers, Ms. Lipton, clearly
you're both extraordinary young athletes,
both disciplined, talented.
Nobody could ask youto work any harder than you do.
But the law is clear,
and rules are rules.
Ms. Lipton is eligible to compete,
-and the plaintiff's motion is denied. -[crying]
[bangs gavel]
[crying]
So you agree, I should move some of my supply chain
-to the Caymans? -100%.
-Good. You'll make it happen? -Today.
And, of course, there are significant tax benefits.
-I'll leave that to you. -[chuckles]
Mm-hmm. So I heard you were showing
my colleague some of the finer things in life.
Lucca. Yes. She told you?
Yes, your little card game.
Mm-hmm. She cleaned up.
Isn't that fantastic? [laughs]
Well, it would be
if she ever got the money.
-I'm sorry. What? -Uh, nothing.
I'm probably speaking out of turn.
She hasn't been paid yet?
Zara, what are you saying?
Why didn't the check go out?
Get her the cash now.
Geraldine.
Oh, don't you worry, I am calling Tee next.
Okay, here's the deal.
Either you pay Lucca today,
or I start adding a ten grand late fee every day.
[sighs]
I'm taking care of it.
[laughs]
[both laugh]
There's something I want to show you.
Adrian. Adrian.
-You should look at this. -What is it?
Some of Sadie's teammates went to a private doctor
to test their testosterone to help her in her case.
I got this from the doctor.
How'd you get this?
I'd rather not say.
There.
We just learned that there's another swimmer
on the Olympic team with testosterone levels
-above the limit. -Which one?
Piper Vega?
No way. Piper's not trans.
I-I would know, I'm likea mentor. We-we train together.
ADRIAN: It's not about being trans.
We have the test results, Melanie.
Are you willing to go back to court?
Even if it means that Piper gets kicked off the team?
Why didn't you tell me you hadn't been paid?
[laughs]: I feel like an idiot.
-It's-it's okay. -It's not okay.
David filled me in.
Thank you, David.
Actually, I'm glad he said something
because you were never going to.
I meant to bring it up at dinner.
But you didn't for some reason?
I don't understand what's going on.
Suddenly you're tongue-tied, you're hesitant.
I mean, I know our friendship is, like, ten minutes old,
but I don't think this is you.
It's not. Usually.
I have no trouble talking aboutmy clients' money, obviously.
But my own? It just, it-it feels... wrong.
[chuckles]: Well... get over it.
I don't think I can.
We're friends, and you have this...
wealth, and it's...
uncomfortable to talk aboutor ask about or anything about.
-It's just money. -Not to people
who don't have it.
Money defines people.
I can't do what you do
or go where you go or buy what you buy.
That's the great divide.
And it's hard to get over.
-I'm on your side. -I know.
And I want to be on yours.
Dr. Pell, have you had a chance
to go over the medical records of Piper Vega?
PELL: I have.
ADRIAN: What were her testosterone numbers, please?
She was tested twice. One was 11.6, one was 12.3.
And the allowable limit for Olympic eligibility is 10,
-correct? -Yes. No more than 10.
ADRIAN: Doctor, what's the basis of putting a cap on testosterone?
Higher numbers provide advantages
in athletic performance related to speed
-and strength. -Thank you.
Dr. Pell, these advantages that you speak of,
do they apply to Piper Vega?
No. Piper has a condition
known as complete androgen insensitivity syndrome.
While the testosterone levels are that of a cis male,
the testosterone itself isn't absorbed,
thus provide none of the relevant benefits.
Uh, counselors, can you approachthe bench, please?
Um, am I understanding that...
Piper Vega is biologically male?
No. All her external secondary traits are female,
she presents as female,
but her chromosomes are male.
Then what is she?
Clinically, she'd be classified as intersex.
And does she know that she'd be classified as that?
As far as we know, Your Honor, she does not know.
Then I'm assuming she has female genitalia?
She does.
Any more questions, Counselor?
-I do, Your Honor. -Okay.
Well, proceed.
Dr. Pell, you testified previously
that, imperfect though they may be,
testosterone levels provide the most accurate
and objective determination of sex identity
for purposes of athletic competition.
Is that still the case?
-Yes. -LIZ: Your Honor,
the International Olympic Committee, uh, has established
these regulations by which they now must abide.
It gives me no satisfaction to argue that this young woman
should be disqualified from the Olympic team.
[exhales]
[grunts]
Ain't science great?
I'm sitting up here listeningto doctors give expert testimony
about things I barely understand,
and just because I'm wearing this black nightgown,
I get to decidewhich girl's heart gets broken.
I mean, d-does anybody else want this job?
Because I sure as hell don't.
Piper Vega, I'm sorry.
You are a lovely young woman
and I hope you find happiness in your life,
but unfortunately you're... you're not gonna find it here.
Melanie Evers, I'm guessing that during
all those cold, early-morning workouts with your mother,
this is not how you imaginedyou'd be going to the Olympics,
but based on standards that were set by some entity
in some far-off place, you'll be going.
We stand adjourned.
LUCCA: David.
Thank you.
For?
Telling Bianca. I never thought...
Lucca.
When you have money, I get ten percent for managing it.
That's the only reason I did that.
-I'm in. -FRANK: You are?
1,000%.
What about that issue you had?
Ah, I took care of it.
Are you sure?
Frank... [laughs]
the issue's gone.
We should celebrate.
Anybody feel like a Scotch?
[dog barking in distance]
♪
[laughing]
Captioning sponsored by CBS
Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org