Ep 22. Julia Drives Over the First Amendment

Julia Drives Over the First Amendment is the 22nd episode of the third season of the classic sitcom Designing Women. The episode aired for the first time on April 16, 1989, and was written by Pamela Norris and directed by Harry Thomason.

In this episode, Julia Sugarbaker (played by Dixie Carter), the outspoken feminist and owner of the interior design firm, is invited to speak on a local television talk show where the topic is freedom of speech. Julia's views are put to the test when she discovers that one of the guests on the show, Phil Donahue (playing himself), is arguing in favor of censorship of pornography.

Julia, of course, is vehemently opposed to censorship in any form and argues passionately for the First Amendment. However, when the program is over and she's on her way home, she gets pulled over by a police officer on the grounds of speaking her mind. Apparently, when she was on the TV show, she had expressed her disapproval of the police department, which has resulted in her getting a ticket for veering over the white line.

Naturally, Julia is outraged and feels that her First Amendment rights are being directly violated. She decides to fight the ticket in court and hire a lawyer to represent her. The lawyer she chooses is Reese Watson (played by Hal Holbrook), a conservative attorney who's also the ex-husband of Julia's close friend, Mary Jo (played by Annie Potts).

Reese, who's initially hesitant to take on Julia's case and tells her that he doesn't agree with her politics, changes his mind when he realizes that she has a valid point. Reese and Julia team up to argue that the police department is indeed violating her freedom of speech rights by punishing her for what she said on TV.

Meanwhile, the other women at the design firm are dealing with their own issues. Suzanne (played by Delta Burke) is struggling with writer's block while trying to finish her book, while Charlene (played by Jean Smart) and Anthony (played by Meshach Taylor) are trying to plan their wedding.

As the court date approaches, Julia and Reese prepare their case and face off against the prosecutor. The twist comes when they discover that the prosecutor is none other than Mary Jo's new boyfriend, who seems to be holding a grudge against Julia for the various arguments they've had in the past.

In the end, the judge rules in Julia's favor and declares that the police department violated her First Amendment rights. Reese and Julia share a friendly moment, and Mary Jo's boyfriend admits that he was wrong to try and use his position to punish Julia for her views.

Overall, Julia Drives Over the First Amendment is a classic episode of Designing Women that explores important themes like freedom of speech and censorship. It's a reminder that we must always stand up for our rights and fight against oppressive forces, even if they're disguised as something else.