Abstract

Beat the Devil

This article discusses the Episode 53 of American Broadcasting Co. (ABC)'s television program "The Practice." "The Practice," about a law firm, is produced by David Kelley. The show is regarded as cultural provender of rare quality, basking in the soft glow of liberal approval. The ABC website purrs complacently that "this series brings a freshness to the courtroom drama franchise by focusing on the complexity and moral ambiguity of our legal system." In the episode 53, a nun is hacked to pieces by a depraved killer, but the cop who found her body allegedly violated the Fourth Amendment's protections against unreasonable searches and seizures. The attorney representing the heinous killer argues that the corpse must be suppressed as evidence. The prosecutor argues that the search was constitutionally permissible and that the exclusionary rule is nonsense in any event. The judge rules that the illegally observed evidence must indeed be suppressed. The killer is turned loose while the nuns in the audience gasp. Across the nation, fans of "The Practice" wag their heads in dour agreement that the Bill of Rights and kindred protections should be shoved in the trash can.