Law & Order1990

D.A. Arthur Branch:
It would've been easier if Warner had taken a chainsaw to a family of four.

Jack McCoy:
Why?

D.A. Arthur Branch:
Because you're a human. And humans can't help but judge other humans.

Jack McCoy:
That would be just as wrong as treating Warner differently because he can string together sentences better than the rest of us. The quality of the victim should not matter any more than the quality of his killer.

D.A. Arthur Branch:
I said it'd be easier, not more just.

Jack McCoy:
It's good, Arthur. He can write.

D.A. Arthur Branch:
You want the easy answer? Just words on a page.

Jack McCoy:
And the more difficult one?

D.A. Arthur Branch:
[holding up a copy of the penal code] So are these.

Jack McCoy:
The death penalty is the most severe punishment the law allows. I got to admit, it's disconcerting that Warner thinks it's less severe than going to prison.