Deflection on the Supreme Court Steps
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
C.J. and Danny engage in a tense exchange outside the Supreme Court, with Danny probing for information about the president's meeting with Justice Crouch.
Danny directly questions C.J. about whether Justice Crouch is upset over the president's choice of Harrison, forcing C.J. to deflect.
Danny playfully admits he's been outfoxed by C.J., who expresses exasperation at his relentless probing.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Focused, alert, and procedural; attentive to crowd and press dynamics rather than the content of the conversation.
Secret Service agents accompany Bartlet and Crouch down the steps, maintaining perimeter control and creating a visible security presence that converts the exchange into an official, protected moment.
- • Ensure the physical safety of the President and Justice Crouch during the public appearance.
- • Control access and maintain a clear path through the press line.
- • Project unobtrusive authority to prevent disruptions.
- • Close-coverage and visible presence deter threats and maintain order.
- • The press area requires monitoring to prevent breaches.
- • Protective procedure must stay visible but not theatrical.
Controlled and mildly irritated on the surface; professionally guarded with a thin thread of private amusement at having the upper hand.
C.J. paces along the Supreme Court steps, answering Danny's flirtatious probes with clipped, professional parries; she preserves White House silence, refuses to confirm rumors, and directs the emotional tenor by remaining composed and slightly exasperated.
- • Deflect speculative questions and protect the president's confidential decision-making process.
- • Maintain professional distance and avoid giving reporters ammunition or leaks.
- • Manage optics so the administration appears disciplined and discreet.
- • Discretion is a duty of her office; confirming or denying would damage institutional strategy.
- • The relationship between the president and Justice Crouch is nuanced and not fodder for tabloid simplification.
- • A composed press posture prevents escalation and protects the President's confirmation process.
Amused and lightly embarrassed; professionally alert and eager for a scoop but charmed into accepting C.J.'s control of the moment.
Danny circles C.J. with a blend of flirtation and journalistic prodding — offering his gloves, posing leading questions about Crouch's feelings toward the President, and then conceding with rueful amusement when C.J. sidesteps him.
- • Elicit an on-the-record reaction or a revealing offhand comment that would become news.
- • Maintain rapport with C.J. while testing the bounds of her evasions.
- • Position himself at the press edge for the coming public exchange.
- • There is a political story to be had around the President's choice and Justice Crouch's reaction.
- • C.J. is the conduit to information and can be teased into slips if handled deftly.
- • A casual, charming approach lowers defenses and can yield useful quotes.
Composed and purposeful; focused on the courtesy visit and public appearance rather than the private sparring happening on the steps.
President Bartlet is seen descending the Supreme Court steps with Justice Crouch and Secret Service agents; his presence shifts the scene from a private exchange into an official moment requiring managed optics.
- • Conduct the retirement courtesy call with appropriate presidential decorum.
- • Project steadiness and control in front of the press.
- • Manage the transition from private meeting to public exchange smoothly.
- • Ceremony and courtesy rituals matter for institutional legitimacy.
- • Public appearances should be controlled to avoid unnecessary controversy.
- • Any private tensions with justices are secondary to the need for a dignified public posture.
Restrained and formal; possibly mildly impatient given the ceremonial nature of the visit but not outwardly reactive in this beat.
Justice Joseph Crouch descends the steps flanked by Bartlet and Secret Service; he is a present but silent figure whose arrival reframes the earlier private repartee as the press-ready moment arrives.
- • Complete the retirement courtesy call with appropriate judicial composure.
- • Avoid escalating any private tensions into public spectacle.
- • Preserve the dignity of the Court during the transition.
- • The Court's rituals and retirements should be handled with formality.
- • Personal grievances are to be subordinated to institutional process in public.
- • Press intrusion is inevitable and should be managed by aides and protocol.
Dryly amused and resigned—she perceives the coming performance and marks it with a small, knowing comment.
A woman walking down the steps passes C.J. and Danny and utters, with mild amusement and weary resignation, the line 'Here we go,' signaling the transition from backstage negotiation to public spectacle.
- • Signal to those nearby that the public exchange (and press performance) is beginning.
- • Serve as a diegetic cue to compress the scene's private-to-public shift.
- • Public political moments are essentially performative and predictable.
- • Observers often function as punctuation for public spectacle.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Danny offers his slim dark-gray evening gloves to C.J. as a teasing, flirtatious prop and conversational opener. The gloves function as a small, tactile attempt to disarm C.J. and shift the tone from professional to personal; she refuses, which reinforces boundaries.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
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Key Dialogue
"DANNY: "You think Crouch is pissed because the president has already settled on Harrison?""
"C.J.: "Danny?""
"DANNY: "I did it again!" C.J.: "Yeah." DANNY: "But you know what you did?" C.J.: "What?" DANNY: "You outfoxed me." C.J.: "You're killing me. You know that, Danny.""