First Monday


First Monday is an American legal drama television series which aired on CBS during the midseason replacement from January 15 to May 3, 2002. The series centered on the U.S. Supreme Court. Like another 2002 series, The Court, it was inspired by the prominent role the Supreme Court played in settling the 2000 presidential election. However, public interest in the high court had receded by the time the two shows premiered, and neither was successful.

Premise

Created by JAG creator Donald P. Bellisario and Paul Levine, the show aired on CBS from January until May 2002. The name First Monday is a reference to the first Monday in October, which is when each Supreme Court term begins.
Joe Mantegna starred as moderate Justice Joseph Novelli, who is appointed to a Supreme Court evenly divided between conservatives and liberals. The show examined how the law clerks and justices dealt with issues and cases that came before the highest court in the United States.
First Monday generally dealt with two issues per episode. Earlier in the series, that tended to be two cases. Later in the series, that tended to be one case and one personal issue.

Characters

Main

Nomination

was nominated for a 2002 Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music.