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Foremost Monday was the U.S. television drama centered on the U.S. Supreme Court. Created by JAG creator Donald Bellisario, the indicate aired in CBS from January until May of 2002. A title Foremost Monday occurs as information to the number one Monday in October, which is when to each one Supreme Court term begins.

Joe Mantegna starred as moderate Justice Joseph Novelli, who is appointed to the Supreme Court evenly divided between conservativist & liberals. A indicate examined how else a law clerks & justices dealt by having issues and subjects that precede a state supreme court in the United States.

Number one Monday usually dealt by having ii issues by the episode. Earliest in the series, that tended to exist as deuce subjects. Late in the series, that tended to exist as a single out break & 1 family issue.

Main cast
Justice Joseph Novelli (Joe Mantegna) was a newly-appointed moderate Supreme Court Justice. Chief Justice Thomas Brankin (James Garner) was the football-obsessed, conservative Chief Justice of the United States. Justice Henry Hoskins (Charles Durning) was Brankin's best friend & the conservative justice, world health organization typically spouted limericks during conversation. Miguel Mora (Randy Vasquez) was Novelli's conservative law clerk. Ellie Pearson (Hedy Burress) was Novelli's liberal law clerk. Jerry Klein (Christopher Wiehl) was Novelli's moderate law clerk. Julian Lodge (Joe Flanigan) was Brankin's law clerk.

Supporting cast

Other Supreme Court Justices
Justice Esther Weisenberg (Camille Saviola) was a liberal justice. Justice Jerome Morris (James McEachin) was a liberal justice. Justice Michael Bancroft (James Karen) was a liberal justice. Justice Deborah Szwark (Gail Strickland) was a conservative justice. Justice Theodore Snow (Stephen Markle) was a liberal justice. Justice Brian Chandler (Lyman Ward) was a conservative justice.

Novelli's family
Sarah Novelli (Linda Purl) was a real estate agent and Novelli's married woman. Andrew Novelli (Brandon Davis) was Novelli's son. Beth Novelli (Rachel Grate) was Novelli's daughter.

Others
Charles Bierbauer (Charles Bierbauer) was host of Curveball, the political talk show. Senator Edward Sheffield (Dean Stockwell) was a U.S. Senator who plotted to get Novelli impeached.

Episodes

Pilot (January 15, 2002) Case I: The Florida demise row inmate is smitten by lightning, diminishing his mental capacity. A justices must determine whether executing him violates a Eighth Amendment's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. A justices refuse to grant certiorari. Case Ii: The Mexican transsexual seeks asylum in the United States, due to social persecution of transsexuals in Mexico. the justices rule against a transsexual whilst these are found that a transsexual is actually a transvestite.

Age of Consent (January 18, 2002) Case I: The pregnant teenager gains permission from the court to obtain an abortion. Her parents oppose a abortion & appeal to a Supreme Court to overturn the guide. A justices rule pro a girl & the inferior court. pack Deuce: the Supreme Court hears the case involving a school bully's hurtful comments & a school district's efforts to punish his speech. A justices rule a zone's policies violate a dandy's First Amendment right to freedom of speech.

The Price of Liberty (January 25, 2002) out break Single: The disguised witness testifies inside the case against the drug dealer. A prosecution scraps to title of a witness since triplet former known as witnesses in the instance were flushed although no grounds to believe the suspect was taking part in the killing. A defense appeals to a Supreme Court, & a justices rule that the suspect's Sixth Amendment right "to be confronted with the witnesses against him" was violated, and so a witness must exist as known as, or even she might non exist as suspire to testify. Case Ii: The dwarf lawyer accuses his law house of discrimination because the firm installed a "mini-office" for him, claiming to become accommodating his impairment. He claims the mini-professional hwhen resulted inside his existence treated other than, as in case he were a sideshow. the attorney as well says his size is non a handicap. a justices rule out favor of a law professional when the mini-office was a sensible accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Crime & Penalty (February 1, 2002) A criminal sustaining ii former felony convictions is sentenced to life in prison fallowing committing the misdemeanor. A malefactor claims that a state's three strikes law violates his Fifth Amendment right to due process, the Fifth Amendment's prohibition against double jeopardy, the Sixth Amendment's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment, and the Article I, Section 10 prohibition against states making ex post facto laws. A justices rule against a outlaw.

Family Affairs (February 8, 2002) Case: The human using 2 married woman convicted of bigamy appeals a lower court finding of fact, claiming anti-bigamy laws violate his First Amendment right to freedom of religion. A justices rule Five-Four against a huhuman while one of a justices believes a man's religion don't actually trend lines bigamy. Personal Issue for Justice Novelli: a newsperson uncovers conceivable ties between a Novelli personal & the Mafia.

Dangerous Words (March 1, 2002) The widow of a murdered abortion doctor wins a $6 million pack against an extremist pro-life web site that advocated a killing of her married man & many more abortion doctors. A website operator argues he is protected by his First Amendment right to freedom of speech. A justices overturn a widow woman's $6 million pack fallowing searching for that a places was non responsible a execution & that a internet site was indeed protected under the First Amendment. Personal Issue for Justice Novelli: A site operator from either a abortion out break posts threatening places targeting Justice Novelli. Beth Novelli finds the human fetus in her backpack.

Right to Die (March 8, 2002) Case: the married wohuman & girl of the man within a coma for nine years battle over whether he should exist as continue life support. the married woman wants to prevent life trend lines, arguing her hubby would non are saved alive inside such a state. A girl argues that she has seen glimpses of life around her father, therefore life trend lines should exist as maintained. A justices rule Five-Four that a human's married woman has the right to produce medical decisions for him. A out break foreshadowed the real-life Terri Schiavo controversy that would gainside national attention in 2005. Personal Issue for Justice Novelli: Sarah Novelli sells the $2.Two million front yard to a head of an anti-smoking organization when the example on the cigarette industry is pending before a Supreme Court. Whilst Justice Novelli tells his married woman that he have had to recuse himself from either a out break due to conflict of interest rules, Sarah returns her commission & quits her job as a real estate agent.

Court Date (March 29, 2002) A high school junior basketball star argues that the NBA's rule prohibiting high school age players from entering the NBA Draft is a violation of antitrust laws. A justices rule Five-Four that a rule of reason applies, and a NBA could take a streaming video player to complete his high school education.

Secrets & Lies (April 5, 2002) A instance is brought challenging a constitutionality of Megan's Law. A sex wrongdoer argue that a law violates their Fifth Amendment right to due process. A advocates of the law argue that it protects public safety. A justices rule in favour upholding a law. Personal Issue for Justice Szwark: Justice Novelli tells Justice Szwark that the sex wrongdoer is sleep in her front yard when he utilizes the Megan's Law database.

Unprotected Speech (April 12, 2002) A teenager digitally placed a faces of class fellow in to the faces of adult pornographic film actors and is convicted under the federal law that prohibits simulated child pornography. the justices call for a loophole that allows a children to overturn a conviction while forgoing overturning the law, by using the intention of sending a signal to Congress that the law was as well wide & required become narrowed. Personal Issue for Justice Snow: An audiotape shells of Justice Snow disparaging the more justices at a person.

Strip Look for (April 19, 2002) Case: A sheriff in the village shopping for a serial rapist begins collecting DNA samples from all the male tolerant the town hospital. 1 human whose DNA is taken however doesn't match a raper's DNa sues around a state court, which orders a sheriff to prevent the DNA collection. Fallowing a sheriff ignores a state court's choose, he finds the match. A accused raper appeals to the Supreme Court. A justices rule Five-Four that a sheriff's collection of DNthe was a violation of the Fourth Amendment's prohibition against "unreasonable searches and seizures" by government authorities. the raper himself is convicted whenever his married woman voluntarily turns all over a sample of her hubby's DNA. Personal Issue for Justice Novelli: Beth Novelli refuses to take a drug test required for her to participate in high school soccer, citing the unfairness of the school's policy of singling out athletes for drug testing. A media see of the story & focus attention on the Novelli personal. Justice Weisenberg cites Beth's refusal to take a drug line 1 text around deciding a DNA out break.

Showdown (April 22, 2002) Case: the Supreme Court must decide whenever a village that bans guns within its borders is constitutional. A justices rule Five-Four that a ban violates a Second Amendment's protection of the right to bear arms. Personal Issue for Justice Novelli: Justice Snow informs his colleagues that Novelli owned the gun that was stolen & utilized around the drive-by shooting years ago.

Family Secrets (May 3, 2002) Case: A CIA attempts to stop the publication of a book that can reveal national security secrets. Andy skinner & a publisher argue that it is protected per First Amendment's protection of freedom of the press. Personal Issue for Ellie Pearson: Ellie believes publication of the book may reveal how else her father died. Personal Issue for Justice Szwark: after a justices sit down to hear unwritten argument in the experience, Szwark storms slay when she understands her girl is the lawyer representing the CIA. She has her girl bring round her chambers & speaks to her all about a CIA's manipulation to inflict Justice Szwark to recuse herself since her girl's representation of the litigator in the out break is the conflict of interest. A more eight justices late vote nem con to declare that Szwark has there is no conflict of interest. As Ellie & Justice Szwark's girl hike to the eating house, Szwark's girl is stricken by the car. Ellie cradles her & screams for serve, when the year terminates by having a cliffhanger ending. When a series is cancelled fallowing this episode, a cliffhanger is never resolved.

Quotes
''"Let's go out there and make history!"'' – Chief Justice Brankin in the Justices' football-style huddle before to each one oral argument. "I wet my panties my first day on the bench." – Justice Weisenberg speaking to Justice Novelli as he fill in awe when typing a court for his 1st oral argument as a Justice. "Only a fool wants to hear the echo of his own voice." – Justice Novelli explaining to his law clerks why he hired through a political spectrum. "I hate his limericks." – Justice Morris commenting after Justice Hoskins makes the limerick. "I thought it was just his politics." – Justice Weisenberg responding to Justice Morris.

Award
Bruce Broughton was nominated for a 2002 Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music.

Trivia
Foremost Monday is does'nt to become confused using a Sally Field-starring Supreme Court TV drama The Court, which aired on ABC in late March and early April of 2002. This program aired single Trey episodes prior to existence yanked from either a schedule, making it possibly less successful than 1st Monday was for CBS.