Law & Order1990

Jack McCoy:
Even Alan Dershowitz, the Babe Ruth of civil rights, said that under some circumstances, torture is not only justifiable, it's obligatory.

A.D.A. Alexandra Borgia:
That's right. To find a ticking nuclear device hidden somewhere in New York City.

Jack McCoy:
So it's okay to torture someone to save a million lives?

A.D.A. Alexandra Borgia:
There's at least an argument for it.

Jack McCoy:
What if the bomb wasn't in New York City? What if it was in Rugby, North Dakota, where only a couple of thousand people would be at risk?

A.D.A. Alexandra Borgia:
That's a bogus argument.

Jack McCoy:
I don't think the Grants would agree. Let's not forget that Mitchell Lowell kidnapped their little girl.

A.D.A. Alexandra Borgia:
Let's also not forget that we have a Constitution. Call me a stickler, but I think we should at least pretend to follow it!

Jack McCoy:
And I think that the Constitution should be used less as a shield for the guilty, and more as a sword for their innocent victims.