Scene VII. Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court.

[Enter Warren Burger, Chief Justice, divers Supreme Court Justices, crowds, lawyers, members of the press, Leon Jaworski, and James St. Clair.]
Burger. The arguments. Mr. Jaworski.
Jaworski. Your honors, before you stands a humble
man called upon by Destiny to argue
against a man whom he has no quarrel with.
I’ve not met this man whom I prosecute. 5
Yet, your honors, in truth I believe
in what I shall herein present.
And I believe it with all my heart and
all my soul. In brief, these are my claims.
I have been called upon by the Congress, 10
nay, commanded, to investigate and
bring to trial all those persons who have
done illegal acts in these matters which
we have called Watergate. And now, your honors,
we’ve got that trial. And for that trial 15
we need evidence. Now, most eminent
men of learning, it has come to my
attention that Richard M. Nixon,
a citizen of this country, has in
his possession certain documents and 20
recordings that have, by a lawful
magistrate of this land, been declared as
evidence for that trial. Thereby an order
was issued dually authorized
and lawfully executed, subpoenaing 25
these recordings and documents. But, see,
your honors, Mr. Nixon has refused
this lawful order and now the case is
before this High Tribunal of our land.
Burger. Mr. St. Clair. 30
St. Clair. Your eminence, honors, justices, men
of learning, for these you certainly are,
listen, and in your wisdom, please listen.
I represent Richard Nixon.
He, your graces, is not, as my venerable 35
Mr. Prosecutor would have you believe,
an ordinary citizen. He has
been elected, by the mandate of the
people of this land, to serve as President.
Your honors, to be effective, faithful 40
in administrating the laws of this land,
he must, by the very nature of his
office, have over him a certain
Privilege that immunes him from poking
and prying from every petty tribunal 45
that has a quarrel with his actions. I
am not defending the man. I defend
the Office. For if you, in your collective
wisdom see fit to force the acceptance
of this order, then every President 50
throughout eternity will be forced to
spend such fruitless hours fighting in court
each irate citizen bent on his destruction.
Your honors, what desecration of faith
will you command if you decide against 55
the President! For surely no Chief
Executive’s secrets will e’er be safe,
especially when such secrets, as they
do, affect our nation, our world, and our
very history. How can you let prying 60
minds infilter the innermost strategies
of National Security? Then, men
of wisdom, what shall be wrought when every
factor that makes this democracy strong
is exposed to false, malicious minds that 65
have neither respect nor compassion for
democratic ways. Think, your honors, and think twice.
[Exeunt St. Clair and Jaworski.]
Burger. And these are the arguments. We shall go
behind closed doors to deliberate this case
and issue forth with the answer, when it 70
shall come to us.
[Exeunt.]