Jamie Ross
Encyclopedia
Jamie Ross is a fictional character
on the TV drama Law & Order
, created by Rene Balcer and portrayed by Carey Lowell
from 1996 to 1998. She also appears in the short-lived Law & Order spin-off
Law & Order: Trial By Jury
, by which time the character has become a judge.
who graduated from law school at Columbia University
, enters the Manhattan District Attorney
's office as an Assistant District Attorney, replacing Claire Kincaid
(Jill Hennessy
), who had been killed in a car accident in the previous episode ("Aftershock"). She initially has a rocky relationship with her superior Jack McCoy
(Sam Waterston
) because his penchant for bending trial rules goes against her liberal
idealism and sense of legal ethics
. While the two never see perfectly eye-to-eye, however, they eventually grow to be close friends.
During the 1997-98 season, Ross's personal and professional life is thrown into disarray by a custody battle with her ex-husband, Neil Gorton, over their daughter. For the next year, the brutal litigation against her ex-husband (who is also a lawyer, with whom she used to work) leaves her with less and less time to devote to her job. She leaves the DA's office in the 1998 episode "Monster", to remarry and find a job that gives her more time to be with her family. She is replaced by Abbie Carmichael
(Angie Harmon
) in the following episode. Jamie Ross reveals that she is opposed to the death penalty and changed her views since working in the DA's office. This was revealed in season 10 episode 5 Justice when she is forced to testify against a judge who went on trial for attempted murder after ignoring evidence that could have exonerated a wrongfully convicted death row inmate.
. When McCoy discovers she had violated that defendant's confidence in a previous action, Ross recuses herself. She reported herself to the Disciplinary Committee of the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division
, which eventually exonerated her with help from McCoy's testimony on her behalf.
Lowell reprises Ross again, as a defense attorney, in the 2001 episode "School Daze," when she represents a student who had killed several classmates in a shooting at his school. At first, Ross has the upper hand, getting a handgun and other evidence dismissed due to a suppression ruling against detectives Lennie Briscoe
(Jerry Orbach
) and Ed Green
(Jesse L. Martin
), who use privileged medical information from a school psychiatrist
to identify the suspect following an anonymous e-mail
threatening to "come back and finish the job." However, when new evidence emerges and the judge decides the boy is competent to stand trial, the case is reinstated. After the boy's father (who believes his son would kill again if freed) testifies on the stand that his son had admitted the crime to him, the boy is convicted.
In 2005, Ross is reintroduced in the spin-off series Law & Order: Trial by Jury
as a trial judge. She appears in just two episodes: "41 Shots," in which she is seen eating at a restaurant with two other judges while having a conversation, and "Bang & Blame," in which she presides over the trial of a murderer who decides to represent himself pro se after killing a woman on video in the middle of a crowded bank
lobby.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the TV drama Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
, created by Rene Balcer and portrayed by Carey Lowell
Carey Lowell
Carey Lowell is an American actress and former model.-Early life:Lowell was born in Huntington, New York and spent much of her childhood traveling with her father, James Lowell, who was a geologist. Immediately after graduating from Bear Creek High School in Lakewood, CO., she was signed by the...
from 1996 to 1998. She also appears in the short-lived Law & Order spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
Law & Order: Trial By Jury
Law & Order: Trial by Jury
Law & Order: Trial by Jury is an American television drama about criminal trials set in New York City. It was the third spin-off from the long-running Law & Order. The show's almost exclusive focus was on the criminal trial of the accused, showing both the prosecution's and defense's preparation...
, by which time the character has become a judge.
As series regular
The character was introduced in 1996 (in the episode "Causa Mortis") as a former defense attorneyLawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
who graduated from law school at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, enters the Manhattan District Attorney
New York County District Attorney
The New York County District Attorney is the elected district attorney for New York County , New York. The office is responsible for the prosecution of violations of New York state laws....
's office as an Assistant District Attorney, replacing Claire Kincaid
Claire Kincaid
Assistant District Attorney Claire Kincaid is a fictional character on the television series Law & Order, played by Jill Hennessy from 1993 to 1996.-Character overview:...
(Jill Hennessy
Jill Hennessy
Jillian Noel "Jill" Hennessy is a Canadian actress and musician known for her television roles on Law & Order and Crossing Jordan.-Early life:...
), who had been killed in a car accident in the previous episode ("Aftershock"). She initially has a rocky relationship with her superior Jack McCoy
Jack McCoy
John James "Jack" McCoy is a fictional character in the television drama Law & Order, created by Michael S. Chernuchin and played by Sam Waterston since 1994. He is the second-longest tenured character on the show, after Lt. Anita Van Buren . On January 28, 2009, McCoy's character ended the longest...
(Sam Waterston
Sam Waterston
Samuel Atkinson "Sam" Waterston is an American actor and occasional producer and director. Among other roles, he is noted for his Academy Award-nominated portrayal of Sydney Schanberg in 1984's The Killing Fields, and his Golden Globe- and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning portrayal of Jack McCoy...
) because his penchant for bending trial rules goes against her liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
idealism and sense of legal ethics
Legal ethics
Legal ethics encompasses an ethical code governing the conduct of persons engaged in the practice of law and persons more generally in the legal sector.-In the United States:...
. While the two never see perfectly eye-to-eye, however, they eventually grow to be close friends.
During the 1997-98 season, Ross's personal and professional life is thrown into disarray by a custody battle with her ex-husband, Neil Gorton, over their daughter. For the next year, the brutal litigation against her ex-husband (who is also a lawyer, with whom she used to work) leaves her with less and less time to devote to her job. She leaves the DA's office in the 1998 episode "Monster", to remarry and find a job that gives her more time to be with her family. She is replaced by Abbie Carmichael
Abbie Carmichael
Abigail "Abbie" Carmichael is a fictional character on the TV drama Law & Order created by Rene Balcer and portrayed by model/actress Angie Harmon...
(Angie Harmon
Angie Harmon
Angela Michelle "Angie" Harmon is an American fashion model and television/film actress. She became a well-known model before gaining international fame for her roles in Baywatch Nights and Law & Order....
) in the following episode. Jamie Ross reveals that she is opposed to the death penalty and changed her views since working in the DA's office. This was revealed in season 10 episode 5 Justice when she is forced to testify against a judge who went on trial for attempted murder after ignoring evidence that could have exonerated a wrongfully convicted death row inmate.
Guest appearances
Lowell returned to the character in the 1999 episode "Justice"; Ross and McCoy share a courtroom as adversaries. Once again a defense attorney, she represents a client McCoy is prosecuting for murderMurder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
. When McCoy discovers she had violated that defendant's confidence in a previous action, Ross recuses herself. She reported herself to the Disciplinary Committee of the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division
New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division
The Supreme Court of the State of New York, Appellate Division is the intermediate appellate court in New York State. The Appellate Division is composed of four departments .*The First Department covers the Bronx The Supreme Court of the State of New York, Appellate Division is the intermediate...
, which eventually exonerated her with help from McCoy's testimony on her behalf.
Lowell reprises Ross again, as a defense attorney, in the 2001 episode "School Daze," when she represents a student who had killed several classmates in a shooting at his school. At first, Ross has the upper hand, getting a handgun and other evidence dismissed due to a suppression ruling against detectives Lennie Briscoe
Lennie Briscoe
Leonard W. "Lennie" Briscoe is a fictional character on NBC's long running police procedural and legal drama television series Law & Order. He was featured on the show for 12 seasons, from 1992 to 2004. He was created by Walon Green and René Balcer, and was portrayed by Jerry Orbach...
(Jerry Orbach
Jerry Orbach
Jerome Bernard "Jerry" Orbach was an American actor and singer. He was well known for his starring role as Detective Lennie Briscoe in the Law & Order television series and as the voice of Lumière in Disney's Beauty and the Beast. As well, Orbach was a noted musical theatre star...
) and Ed Green
Ed Green
Edward "Ed" Green is a fictional character on the NBC crime drama Law & Order, created by Rene Balcer and portrayed by Jesse L. Martin.-Character overview:...
(Jesse L. Martin
Jesse L. Martin
Jesse L. Martin is an American theatre, film, and television actor. He is known for originating the role of Tom Collins in the Broadway theatrical production of Rent, and for his portrayal of NYPD Detective Ed Green on the NBC drama television series Law & Order.-Early life:Martin, the third of...
), who use privileged medical information from a school psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
to identify the suspect following an anonymous e-mail
E-mail
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
threatening to "come back and finish the job." However, when new evidence emerges and the judge decides the boy is competent to stand trial, the case is reinstated. After the boy's father (who believes his son would kill again if freed) testifies on the stand that his son had admitted the crime to him, the boy is convicted.
In 2005, Ross is reintroduced in the spin-off series Law & Order: Trial by Jury
Law & Order: Trial by Jury
Law & Order: Trial by Jury is an American television drama about criminal trials set in New York City. It was the third spin-off from the long-running Law & Order. The show's almost exclusive focus was on the criminal trial of the accused, showing both the prosecution's and defense's preparation...
as a trial judge. She appears in just two episodes: "41 Shots," in which she is seen eating at a restaurant with two other judges while having a conversation, and "Bang & Blame," in which she presides over the trial of a murderer who decides to represent himself pro se after killing a woman on video in the middle of a crowded bank
Bank
A bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...
lobby.