Object

Uniform Code of Military Justice, Article 134

A formal compendium of military statutes and regulations, conceived here as an authoritative, bound legal code—the canonical set of rules that governs military conduct. Physically implied as a thick, official government volume or binders bearing statute text, headings, and numbered articles; worn or pristine condition is unspecified. Characters do not handle the physical book onscreen; instead, Major Tate summons its authority verbally, prompting visible shifts in the room as debate collapses and participants recalibrate in the presence of its legal force.

4 appearances

Purpose

To codify military law and prescribe legal constraints on service and conduct; in the scene it functions as the legal standard whose amendment requires Congressional action.

Significance

Serves as the immediate legal roadblock that punctures administration confidence and shuts down reform efforts. Its invocation transforms a political argument into a juridical impasse, forcing characters to accept institutional limits and redirect strategy toward Congress, marking a narrative turning point.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

4 moments

S1E19 · Let Bartlet Be Bartlet

Slate Rebuked; 'Don't Ask' Reform Runs Into a Wall

The Uniform Code is invoked verbally by Major Tate as the definitive legal instrument that nullifies the staff's premise. Though not physically handled, it functions as a binding textual authority whose citation ends debate.

Before: Not physically present onscreen but exists as the governing statute underpinning military justice.

After: Cited and reinforced as the legal obstacle to administrative change; its authority effectively short-circuits further discussion.

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S1E19 · Let Bartlet Be Bartlet

Roosevelt Room: Legal Roadblock

The Uniform Code is invoked verbally by Major Tate as the authoritative legal barrier: its mention converts the debate from rhetorical to juridical, supplying the binding reason the staff cannot effect change administratively.

Before: Exists as the accepted body of military law — unreferenced but implicitly governing service discipline.

After: Now explicitly cited as the decisive constraint; its authority halts the meeting's momentum and reframes the problem as congressional.

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S4E10 · Arctic Radar

Winners Want the Ball: Bartlet on Discipline and Double Standards

The Uniform Code of Military Justice (Article 134) is physically invoked by Leo (carried into the Oval) and verbally deployed as the legal framework that restrains the President from impulsive intervention; it supplies the institutional counterweight to Bartlet's moral argument.

Before: Referenced and physically carried into the Oval Office by Leo; acts as an authoritative text on military discipline.

After: Remains a legal constraint in the room's discussion, stopping Bartlet from claiming immediate overruling power while prompting procedural caution.

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S4E10 · Arctic Radar

Parking‑Ticket Diplomacy: Bartlet Breaks the Tension

Leo enters carrying the Uniform Code of Military Justice (symbolized by a book). He invokes Article 134 from it as a legal anchor in the dispute. The book functions as the material embodiment of restraint and chain-of-command argument that Bartlet momentarily rejects via rhetoric.

Before: Carried by Leo into the Oval Office; present as a legal reference.

After: Placed aside/retained by Leo after the exchange; its authority remains invoked though Bartlet has reoriented the discussion toward convening opinions.

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