For the People | Season 1

 

"Pilot"

The new federal public defenders and AUSAs are introduced to the US District Court for the Southern District of New York by Chief Judge Nicholas Byrne and Clerk of Court Tina Krissman. FPD Jill Carlan welcomes Sandra Bell, Allison Adams, and Jay Simmons to her office. Chief of the Criminal Division Roger Gunn introduces Kate Littlejohn, Seth Oliver, and Leonard Knox to his department. After Leonard steals Seth's terrorism case against Sandra, Seth is left to go up against his girlfriend Allison on an insider trading case. The lines between their personal and professional lives are blurred when Allison uses a private conversation in court to win the case, leading to Seth being put on probation and leaving Allison. Jay is fooled by his con artist client while going up against procedural guru Kate. Allison asks Sandra to move in with her indefinitely and they decide they are worthy of The Mother Court.

"Rahowa"

After the disappointing result on his first case, Jay has to step and set aside his personal beliefs to defend a white supremacist who allegedly shot an assemblywoman at a rally. Sandra has trouble adjusting to her new home. At work, she faces off with Tina upon overhearing her turning down a woman with a disabled son who are facing eviction because she filed a document five minutes late. Sandra decides to defend the woman pro bono. Seth is paired with Kate as they have to figure out a way to make a case out of years worth of investigation into prescription-drug fraud. Allison is convinced Seth will move back in, but he thinks otherwise. Leonard feels sidelined after his big win and attempts to impress Roger by parading his mother, senator Knox, around the office.

"18 Miles Outside of Roanoke"

Kate and Sandra go head-to-head on a case about a whistleblower that leaked documents indicating that the NSA abuses medical files to search for undocumented immigrants. In doing so, they discover each other's motivations behind their work drive and why they chose for their respective sides of the justice system. Allison's case is troubled when the judge decides to use an algorithm that evaluates the defendant's recidivism rate, which would disadvantage her client. On his continuous quest to impress Roger, Leonard uses information from a romantic fling working for the Eastern District to make sure a prestigious case lands in the Southern District.

"The Library Fountain"

Seth risks his already friable reputation when he pushes to make a case against a company that pollutes the drinking water in his hometown, resulting in several sick children in his former elementary school. The case only gets tougher when Seth has to go up against a condescending attorney from his old firm, who attempts to appease him with a fund that the company set up to aid the victims. Instead, Seth decides to press charges against the company's CEO to gain more money and push reforms. The federal public defenders all work together on the case of Chloe Daniels, who assaulted a postal worker in self-defense. However, as they dig deeper, they find some inconsistencies in her story and start to notice some erratic behavior from their client, which hits close to home for Jill.

"World's Greatest Judge"

When Nicholas receives news that a young kid, whom he once sentenced to jail for being present in a house where a raid happened and drugs were found, was beaten to death, he starts questioning the system. Sandra and Seth go up against one another in the case of Rodrigo Puente, a courier who was caught with 57 grams of meth, 7 grams over the limit for a ten-year mandatory minimum sentence. Rattled by the news he received, Nicholas refuses to impose the same sentence to Rodrigo, infuriating Roger. Allison defends a man who was caught counterfeiting wine and finds herself on the receiving end of his charms. Leonard has to make a tough call in deciding if he's going to make a case against a politician who used campaign funds to cover up an affair.

"Everybody's a Superhero"

Allison's winning streak is threatened when she has to go up against a relentless AUSA in a piracy case involving Arturo Marquez, who allegedly stole supplies from a relief ship after a hurricane hit his home country. Leonard and Sandra once again face each other in court over the case of Freddie Morris, who views himself as a superhero named Captain Shadow and was accused of assault when he tried to stop what he believed was a kidnapping. Meanwhile, Kate teams up with ATF agent Anya Ooms to organize a sting to obtain the evidence Anya needs to make her case. While working together, Anya develops an interest in Kate.

"Have You Met Leonard Knox?"

Feeling overlooked by his environment, Leonard sets out to find anything to charge Jared Nash with. Jared was present while his roommate raped, beat and eventually killed a young woman, but there is no evidence to link him to the assault and murder. Jay develops a crush on Tina's co-worker while assigned a case of a young tennis player accused of throwing a match in exchange for money. Meanwhile, Sandra and Seth go toe-to-toe over a comedian accused of threatening the President in her quest for gun control and Jill and Roger unwittingly solidify their relationship by going in on Yankees season tickets together.

"Flippity-Flop"

Jill and Roger's complicated friendship is tested when they finally square off over a DEA raid that left an inmate clinging to life. Meanwhile, Kate is assigned to an animal smuggling case involving the death of an endangered red panda; and Jay's emotions are thrust into a case when he learns his trusting father was a victim in a pyramid scheme.

"Extraordinary Circumstances"

Roger and Jill bond over their failed marriages as they skip a mandatory congress together. While they both feel more than friendship, Jill states it can't work between them because of opposing views. Kate, Leonard, and Seth have to work together to prove that the New York governor is selling a Senate seat. Sandra is confronted with her past when she's assigned to a client who's stuck in the hospital and accused of trafficking drugs. While she attempts to prevent the FBI from doing an illegal scan, she is handcuffed, which triggers an anxiety attack. With Allison busy in court, Jay has to step in and help her.

"This is What I Wanted to Say"

Sandra defends a hydrologist accused of spying for the Chinese government, but the similarities between this and a former case she lost has her confidence shaken. Meanwhile, Jay faces his fears and goes up against Kate in a case involving a PTA president accused of selling drugs to students; and Allison receives a tempting proposition from her wine-forger client and Leonard reaches out to Kate for advice that culminates with a surprising confession.