Written by Aaron Sorkin, Patrick Caddell, and Dee Dee Myers
Directed by Bill D’Elia

The Short List is one of the more thoughtful episodes of The West Wing because it turns an apparently straightforward political decision about the selection of a Supreme Court nominee into a test of the characters’ principles, loyalties, and willingness to accept political consequences.

Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford and Press Secretary CJ Cregg (Allison Janney) are listening in on a phone call, at the end of which they celebrate that they did it. What exactly they did, we don’t know at first, but they are really happy about it. As they do a walk-and-talk, we learn it has to do with filling a vacancy on the Supreme Court.

Justice Joseph Crouch (Bill Mason) is retiring. He meets with President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) and gives him a dressing-down about who is going to be nominated to replace him. Justice Crouch also doesn’t think the President will be re-elected if he keeps running his administration the way he has. Justice Crouch wants to see Justice Mendoza (Edward James Olmos) succeed him and accuses the President of putting Mendoza on the list just to say there was a Hispanic on the short list.

Media Consultant Mandy Hampton (Moira Kelly) confronts Josh about why Congressman Lillienfield (Holmes Osborne) is holding a press conference. Lillienfield accuses the White House staff of using drugs in the white house. That seems quaint now when we have Donald Trump Jr. regularly strung out on drugs.

Back to the show, Chief of Staff Leo McGarry (John Spencer) states they will look into the drug accusation, even as Josh thinks the whole thing is a joke. Mandy thinks they should all be tested for drugs. CJ is dealing with the press corps and all of their questions about Lillienfield’s statement. Reporter Danny Concannon (Timothy Busfield) points out that she blundered in the press conference. Josh talks to Danny, and Danny says that Lillienfield must have something, but it’s small potatoes. Josh tells Danny that CJ likes goldfish. Danny misinterprets this in a comical way.

Although he’s firmly going with Harrison, Justic Crouch’s argument stands in his mind, and the President asks Toby to take a look at Mendoza and why they didn’t choose him. Meanwhile, Sam gets an anonymous call and meets with someone who produces negative information on Harrison that they hadn’t found before. Apparently, he wrote an anonymous paper in college that states the Constitution doesn’t guarantee a right to privacy.

The President, Josh, and Communications Director Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff) meet with Justice Harrison (Ken Howard), the potential nominee. The President laughs a bit about the silly things you write about when you’re young. However, Deputy Communications Director Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe) is brought in to debate Judge Harrison, and they find out he still believes this.

Josh talks to Leo about him being a recovering alcoholic and asks if there was anything besides alcohol. Leo tells Josh he was also in recovery for pills. Leo thinks he’s safe because of the confidentiality of records. Josh is sure that’s what Lillienfield is talking about. The President reassures Leo he stands by him.

The Short List centers on President Bartlet’s search for a Supreme Court nominee. Initially, the administration thinks it has an easy time of it by nominating Harrison. However, when the question comes up if they ever looked at anyone else, this complicates matters. On top of that, damaging information emerges about Harrison at the same time. The White House must decide not simply who would make the best justice, but whether a candidate’s private history should affect his suitability for public office.

The show is at its best when policy and politics collide with morality, and The Short List gives the characters plenty to argue about. Bartlet, Leo, Toby, Josh, Sam, and C.J. all approach the nomination from somewhat different perspectives. Their conversations demonstrate that political decisions are rarely as simple as choosing the most qualified person. Every choice carries consequences, and every ideal has a price.

One of the episode’s strongest elements is President Bartlet himself, thanks to the great acting of Martin Sheen. His intelligence and confidence are obvious, but so is the burden of his office. Bartlet wants to make a principled decision, yet he understands that his choice will be judged politically. The Short List reinforces the central idea that leadership means making decisions when there is no perfectly clean answer.

The Short List is also effective because it explores the difference between character and reputation. A nominee may be highly qualified, but should personal behavior disqualify someone from serving on the nation’s highest court? The Short List does not offer an easy answer. Instead, it allows the characters to wrestle with the question, which makes the story more interesting than a simple political morality tale.

The Supreme Court storyline is balanced by the show’s continuing interest in the everyday absurdities of White House life. The staff members are dealing with enormous constitutional questions while simultaneously navigating personalities, egos, political calculations, and the constant pressure of working in the West Wing. That contrast is one of the reasons the series remains so entertaining.

What makes The Short List particularly memorable is its idealism. The episode assumes that the people involved in government take their responsibilities seriously. Have we seen that over the last decade? I don’t think so. In the series, they argue because they care about the consequences of their decisions. Even when the characters are maneuvering politically, the underlying assumption is that public service matters.

That idealism can also be the episode’s weakness. The West Wing sometimes makes political debate seem more rational and intellectually satisfying than it is in real life. The characters are exceptionally articulate, and complicated questions can sometimes be resolved through a brilliant conversation. Nevertheless, that heightened reality is part of the show’s appeal rather than a fatal flaw.

The Short List succeeds because it understands that politics is ultimately about people making choices under pressure. The Supreme Court nomination provides the plot, but the real subject is how we evaluate other people, how much we are willing to compromise, and what happens when doing the politically convenient thing conflicts with doing what we believe is right.

The Short List is also an excellent showcase for the ensemble. Rather than relying on a single dramatic confrontation, it allows the different characters to reveal themselves through their reactions to the nomination. The result is an episode that feels less like a conventional political thriller and more like an extended conversation about power, responsibility, and morality. It’s also setting up an ongoing story about Leo’s addictions and recovery as well as the political fallout that will come from it.

The Short List may not be the most explosive episode of The West Wing, but it is one of the show’s better examples of its intellectual strengths. It takes a relatively contained political problem and uses it to explore questions about character, privacy, public service, and political compromise.

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