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EPISODE

S5E11 · The Benign Prerogative

In the days leading up to the State of the Union address, Toby gets crucial voter feedback when he accompanies Joey as she mall-tests the speech around the nation; Jed and the staff wrestle with the issues of presidential pardons and mandatory minimums; Charlie dates an attractive woman who's not what she seems; Joey Lucas derails Josh's plans when she arrives at the White House carrying a surprise; Jed and Abbey reach out to an old friend on the eve of his ex-wife's remarriage.

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THIS ENTRY’S STORY

Plot summary and ending

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Complete story — includes the ending

Toby finishes the State of the Union address a few weeks early, and Joey Lucas, who is now pregnant, polls responses to the speech from the public. Charlie is intrigued by Meeshell Anders ( Gabrielle Union ), an aspiring journalist who does not initially reveal that she will soon become part of the White House Press Corps. Abbey pressures her husband to pardon a Native American tribal leader convicted of killing two FBI agents in North Dakota. President Bartlet opposes mandatory minimums and guidelines for prison sentences and later pardons over thirty inmates who were harshly sentenced under mandatory minimum laws. Toby hires a new assistant, Rina. Note: The episode title refers to a term used by Alexander Hamilton in reference to Article II, Section 2 of the United States Constitution, which codifies the pardon powers of the president.

Sources and content license

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