The Pelican Brief

“His inconsistencies are almost embarrassing.”

The threat posed by Justice Rosenberg is very apparent. The liberal Justice is so widely renowned for his dissenting opinions that he embarrasses people who review his work. Rosenberg’s senility and liberalism quickly establish him as a clear and obvious target for those with money at stake.

“Coal thrived on hatred.”

Fletcher Coal is a shrewd and merciless manipulator. He knows that he has a reputation as a cruel and vicious man, causing people to hate him, but this negative attention only feeds into his ego. He believes that he is working for the greater good of the country, so the more Coal feels the hatred of others, the more he believes that his bad behavior is justified.

“We won’t recognize the Constitution in ten years. This is sick.”

Callahan learns of the death of his hero Rosenberg and realizes the stakes: The deaths of two Supreme Court Justices give a conservative President the opportunity to shape the court. While the deaths of two men are tragic in their own right, the lingering aftermath of the assassinations will resonate in legal decisions for generations in ways not yet possible to discern. Solving their murders will not just bring closure to victims, but can safeguard the future of the American legal system.