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48-506: Just Mercy is a 2019 American biographical legal drama film co-written and directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and starring Michael B. Jordan as Bryan Stevenson , Jamie Foxx as Walter McMillian , Rob Morgan , Tim Blake Nelson , Rafe Spall , and Brie Larson . It explores the work of young defense attorney Bryan Stevenson who represents poor people on death row in the South . Featured

96-563: A Fairytale (2006), and Howard Stern in Private Parts (1997). In 2018, the musical biopic Bohemian Rhapsody , based on the life of Queen singer Freddie Mercury , became the highest-grossing biopic in history at the time. In 2023, it was surpassed by Oppenheimer , based on the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer and the creation of the atomic bomb in World War II. Supreme Court of Alabama The Supreme Court of Alabama

144-406: A codified genre using many of the same tropes used in the studio era that has followed a similar trajectory as that shown by Rick Altman in his study, Film/Genre . Bingham also addresses the male biopic and the female biopic as distinct genres from each other, the former generally dealing with great accomplishments, the latter generally dealing with female victimization. Ellen Cheshire's Bio-Pics:

192-476: A death sentence. Stevenson appeals to the local court to grant McMillian a retrial and successfully convinces Myers to recant his testimony on the stand, but the judge refuses to grant it. Stevenson appears on 60 Minutes to rally public support in favor of McMillian, and appeals the court's decision to the Supreme Court of Alabama . The Supreme Court overturns the circuit court's decision, and grants McMillian

240-639: A lack of resemblance between the two. The casting of John Wayne as Genghis Khan in The Conqueror was objected to because of the American Wayne being cast as the Mongol warlord. Egyptian critics criticized the casting of Louis Gossett Jr. , an African American actor, as Egyptian president Anwar Sadat in the 1983 TV miniseries Sadat . Also, some objected to the casting of Jennifer Lopez in Selena because she

288-444: A life in pictures (2014) examines UK/US films from the 1990s and 2000s. Each chapter reviews key films linked by profession and concludes with further viewing list. Christopher Robé has also written on the gender norms that underlie the biopic in his article, "Taking Hollywood Back" in the 2009 issue of Cinema Journal . Roger Ebert defended The Hurricane and distortions in biographical films in general, stating "those who seek

336-543: A real-life injustice with solid performances, a steady directorial hand, and enough urgency to overcome a certain degree of earnest advocacy." On Metacritic , the film has a weighted average score of 68 out of 100 based on 50 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a rare average grade of "A+" on an A+ to F scale, and PostTrak reported it received an average 4.5 out of 5 stars, with 73% of people saying they would definitely recommend it. Just Mercy grossed $ 36 million in

384-652: A retrial. Stevenson tries to have the charges dismissed entirely. He confronts Chapman at home and tries to convince him to join in this motion; Chapman forces him to leave. On the day of the motion, Stevenson appeals to the judge. That day, Chapman joins him in the motion, the judge dismisses the charges, and McMillian is finally released from prison and reunited with his family. An epilogue notes that Stevenson and Ansley continue their fight for justice. McMillian remained friends with Stevenson until his natural death in 2013. A follow-up investigation into Morrison's 1986 murder confirmed McMillian's innocence. Evidence suggested that

432-615: A total of $ 10 million over the weekend, finishing fourth at the box office. Just Mercy grossed $ 5.8 million over its second weekend of wide release, and $ 7.5 million over the full four-day Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, finishing seventh. In 2024, Just Mercy was used in a psychology study by Stanford University . The researchers concluded that, after watching the film, the study's participants had an increased empathic understanding of formerly incarcerated people. Biographical film Biopic scholars include George F. Custen of

480-474: A white man was likely responsible, but the case has never been officially solved. McMillian's former cellmate, Anthony Ray Hinton , remained on death row for 28 years. Stevenson handled his defense and was eventually able to get all the charges dropped. Hinton was released in 2015. Development on the film began in 2015, when Broad Green Pictures hired Destin Daniel Cretton to direct, with Michael B. Jordan set to star. In December 2017, Warner Bros. acquired

528-993: Is a New York City native of Puerto Rican descent while Selena was Mexican American . Because the figures portrayed are actual people, whose actions and characteristics are known to the public (or at least historically documented), biopic roles are considered some of the most demanding of actors and actresses. Warren Beatty , Faye Dunaway , Ben Kingsley , Johnny Depp , Jim Carrey , Jamie Foxx , Robert Downey Jr. , Brad Pitt , Emma Thompson , Tom Hanks , Eddie Redmayne , and Cillian Murphy all gained new-found respect as dramatic actors after starring in biopics: Beatty and Dunaway as Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker in Bonnie and Clyde (1967), Kingsley as Mahatma Gandhi in Gandhi (1982), Depp as Ed Wood in Ed Wood (1994), Carrey as Andy Kaufman in Man on

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576-604: Is his work with Walter McMillian, who had been wrongfully convicted of the murder of a young woman. The film is based on Stevenson's 2014 eponymous memoir , in which he explored his journey to making his life's work the defense of African American prisoners. Just Mercy , which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2019, was theatrically released by Warner Bros. Pictures on December 25, 2019. The film received positive reviews from critics and grossed $ 50.4 million. Foxx

624-502: Is the highest court in the state of Alabama . The court consists of a chief justice and eight associate justices . Each justice is elected in partisan elections for staggered six-year terms. The Supreme Court is housed in the Heflin-Torbert Judicial Building in downtown Montgomery, Alabama . The Governor of Alabama may fill vacancies when they occur for the remainder of unexpired terms. The current line-up for

672-616: The College of Staten Island and Dennis P. Bingham of Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis . Custen, in Bio/Pics: How Hollywood Constructed Public History (1992), regards the genre as having died with the Hollywood studio era , and in particular, Darryl F. Zanuck . On the other hand, Bingham's 2010 study Whose Lives Are They Anyway? The Biopic as Contemporary Film Genre shows how it perpetuates as

720-444: The Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2019. It received an awards-qualifying limited release on December 25, 2019. Originally set to expand to a wide release on January 17, 2020, the film's expanded distribution was moved up to January 10, 2020, when it opened in 2,375 theaters. In response to the murder of George Floyd , Warner Bros. Pictures made the film free on various streaming platforms during June 2020 to educate

768-674: The Alabama Appellate Courts is Earl Marsh, who was appointed in 2020. In February 2024, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled in LePage v. Center for Reproductive Medicine that frozen embryos were "extrauterine children" and thus were legally children in the State of Alabama . In a concurring opinion, Chief Justice Tom Parker discussed the issue " theologically ", writing that "human life cannot be wrongfully destroyed without incurring

816-699: The Courts is under the leadership of a director appointed by the chief justice of the Court. The Administrative Office of the Courts is responsible for a variety of functions including but not limited to the Juvenile Probation Offices for the Family Court System, Child Support Enforcement, Human Resources Division of the Court, and the Court Interpreter Registry. The current director, Rich Hobson,

864-759: The Moon (1999), Downey as Charlie Chaplin in Chaplin (1992) and as Lewis Strauss in Oppenheimer (2023), Foxx as Ray Charles in Ray (2004), Thompson and Hanks as P. L. Travers and Walt Disney in Saving Mr. Banks (2013), Redmayne as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything (2014), and Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer in Oppenheimer (2023). Some biopics purposely stretch

912-548: The U.S. Senate seat vacated by Jeff Sessions for which a special election was held in December 2017. Stuart was appointed for the remainder of the term by Governor Kay Ivey on April 26, 2017. Chief Justice Stuart, who became the first female Republican chief justice, has been an associate justice of the court since 2001. She faced Associate Justice Tom Parker in the GOP primary in June 2018, and lost

960-531: The United States and Canada, and $ 14.4 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $ 50.4 million. On its first day of limited release, the film made $ 81,072 from four theaters. Just Mercy made $ 105,000 in its opening weekend, December 27–29, for a five-day total of $ 228,072. The film grossed $ 425,862 over the 15 days of limited release. It took in $ 3.7 million on the first day of wide release, including $ 800,000 from Thursday night previews. The film made

1008-493: The administrative head of the Alabama Judicial System. The court makes all rules governing administration, practice, and procedure for all Alabama courts. The exercise of this authority eliminates technicalities which usually cause delays in trial courts and reversals in appellate courts. The Alabama Supreme Court has had an unusually high turnover in the chief justice position, going back to October 1995. Since then,

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1056-470: The associate justice seat he then held and Governor Kay Ivey appointed outgoing Justice Mendheim to the seat. Chief Justice Parker is 67 years old and will not be constitutionally eligible to seek another term in 2024, thus resulting in another new chief justice in 2025. List of all chief justices of Alabama Supreme Court: Most of the current members of the court initially came to their seats via election, with two exceptions: The Administrative Office of

1104-474: The capital city of Cahaba for the first term of the Supreme Court. Clement Comer Clay was appointed by the other judges as the first chief justice of the court. Following his resignation in 1823, he was succeeded by Abner Smith Lipscomb . The court was then reorganized in 1832. It then became a separate court with three justices elected to six-year terms. Abner Lipscomb remained as chief justice. In 1851

1152-421: The configuration that remains today. Former Justice Janie L. Shores was the first of six women to serve on the court. She was elected to the court in 1974. The first of three black justices to serve on the court was former Justice Oscar W. Adams Jr. , who in 1980 was initially appointed by then Governor Fob James to serve the remainder of an unexpired term. Justice Adams became the first black justice elected to

1200-409: The court denied the appeal. Convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend’s niece with a bomb on her porch, Richardson had been sentenced to death by electric chair. Unable to get it overturned, Stevenson promises to be with Richardson in his final moments and witnesses the execution. On behalf of McMillian, Stevenson directly confronts Myers. He admits that police coerced his testimony by threatening him with

1248-413: The court is all Republican . There is no specific limitation on the number of terms to which a member may be elected. However, the state constitution under Amendment 328, adopted in 1973, prohibits any member from seeking election once they reach age 70. The current Clerk of Court is Margaret "Megan" Byrne Rhodebeck, who assumed the office by appointment on August 1, 2022. The Supreme Court of Alabama

1296-522: The court when he was elected two years later to serve a full six-year term. The court moved to the new Heflin-Torbert Judicial Building at 300 Dexter Avenue in 1994. In 2022 the Supreme Court of Alabama Chief Justice Tom Parker Issued a letter of apology on behalf of the State of Alabama to the Echota Cherokee Tribe of Alabama. The Supreme Court of Alabama has the authority to review decisions by all

1344-493: The current prosecutor, Tommy Chapman, for aid; he dismisses him without looking at his notes. Stevenson learns that, at the time of the murder, McMillian's family friend Darnell Houston was elsewhere with a witness who had subsequently falsely corroborated Myers' testimony. This evidence would cause the prosecution's case to fall apart, so Stevenson asks Houston to testify to his account. When Stevenson submits his testimony, police arrest Houston for perjury . Although Stevenson gets

1392-626: The distribution rights for the film, after Broad Green Pictures had entered bankruptcy. In July 2018, Jamie Foxx was set to co-star. In August 2018, Brie Larson , O'Shea Jackson Jr. and Tim Blake Nelson also joined the cast, and filming started in Montgomery, Alabama , by August 30. Filming in Atlanta, Georgia , began in September. In October 2018, actors Dominic Bogart, Hayes Mercure and Karan Kendrick were added as well. The film had its world premiere at

1440-498: The judicial canon of ethics. Associate Justice Gorman Houston acted as temporary chief justice during Moore's suspension but before his actual removal from office. After Moore vacated the office, the Governor appointed Drayton Nabers Jr. Sue Bell Cobb defeated Chief Justice Nabers in 2006. Cobb resigned for personal reasons in the middle of her term. Her replacement, Chuck Malone was appointed on August 1, 2011, by Governor Robert Bentley but

1488-589: The lower courts of the state and the authority to determine certain legal matters over which no other court has jurisdiction. It further has the authority to issue any necessary orders to carry out the general superintendence of the Unified Judicial System of Alabama. It has exclusive jurisdiction over all appeals in disputes exceeding $ 50,000, as well as appeals from the Alabama Public Service Commission . The chief justice also serves as

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1536-512: The number of justices was increased to five. In 1853 the membership of the court was reduced to three again. By this time the court had its own chambers in the newly completed Alabama State Capitol . No changes to the court occurred during the years of the Civil War . The new state constitution of 1868, drafted during the Reconstruction Era , committed the election of the three justices to

1584-465: The people rather than the legislature. The number of justices was increased to four in 1889. In 1891, the number increased to five. Following the adoption of the 1901 constitution, the 1903 session of the legislature raised the number of justices to seven. In 1940 the Supreme Court moved from the Capitol Building to 445 Dexter Avenue. The building had been built as a Scottish Rite temple in 1926 but

1632-435: The perjury charges dismissed, Houston is intimidated, so he refuses to testify in court. Shortly afterward, Stevenson is threatened by two sheriff deputies, who force him from his car at gunpoint and illegally search the car. They refuse to tell him why he was pulled over, but release him. During this period, Stevenson had a case on appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of another death row inmate, Herbert Lee Richardson ;

1680-456: The post has been occupied by eight different individuals for nine different time periods. Not one of these individuals has completed an entire term of six years. Perry Hooper Sr. , elected in 1994, did not assume the office until October, 1995, after a protracted election contest that prevented him from taking office until nine months into the term. He was succeeded by Roy Moore, who was elected in 2000 but removed from office due to violations of

1728-428: The primary to Parker in a relatively close race. Parker had previously lost a GOP primary for the post to Drayton Nabers in 2006. In November 2018, Alabamians selected a new chief justice when Republican Tom Parker easily defeated Democrat Robert Vance. Justice Parker became the eighth different chief justice in only seventeen years when he assumed office on January 11, 2019. When Parker became chief justice, he vacated

1776-614: The public about systemic racism . On June 19, 2020, TBS , TNT , and truTV aired the film, along with the 2018 superhero film Black Panther , in which Jordan also starred, to support social justice in celebration of Juneteenth . The broadcast was presented by Anthony Anderson and featured interviews with Bryan Stevenson, along with U.S. Senator Kamala Harris and comic and TV host W. Kamau Bell . The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports an 85% approval rating based on 306 reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The site's critics consensus reads: " Just Mercy dramatizes

1824-435: The state capital, Montgomery . He embarks on trying to combat social injustices in criminal law and practice, which have resulted in a high rate of African Americans convicted and incarcerated in the state and nationwide. Stevenson goes to a state prison to meet inmates who are on death row and who are seeking appeals of their convictions or sentences. Among these is Walter "Johnny D." McMillian , an African-American man who

1872-468: The truth about a man from the film of his life might as well seek it from his loving grandmother. ... The Hurricane is not a documentary but a parable ." Casting can be controversial for biographical films. Casting is often a balance between similarity in looks and ability to portray the characteristics of the person. Anthony Hopkins felt that he should not have played Richard Nixon in Nixon because of

1920-474: The truth. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind was based on game show host Chuck Barris ' widely debunked yet popular memoir of the same name, in which he claimed to be a CIA agent. Kafka incorporated both the life of author Franz Kafka and the surreal aspects of his fiction. The Errol Flynn film They Died with Their Boots On tells the story of Custer but is highly romanticized. The Oliver Stone film The Doors , mainly about Jim Morrison ,

1968-471: The wrath of a holy God", as "even before birth, all human beings bear the image of God, and their lives cannot be destroyed without effacing his glory". The court's ruling has led three major Alabama medical providers to discontinue in-vitro fertilisation treatment because of legal uncertainty created by the decision. The ruling was described by the U.S. President Joe Biden as "outrageous and unacceptable". Former President Trump said he “strongly supports

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2016-483: Was appointed by Chief Justice Tom Parker to the position in January, 2019. This is Hobson's third time in the position having previously served in the post from 2001 to 2003 and from 2013 to 2016. The State of Alabama marshals are responsible for protection of the Supreme Court, Court of Criminal Appeals, and the Court of Civil Appeals. They also serve subpoenas and court documents among other duties. The current marshal of

2064-445: Was convicted of the 1986 murder of Ronda Morrison, an 18-year-old white girl. McMillian has maintained his innocence. When Stevenson reviews the evidence in the case, he learns that it hinges entirely on the testimony of convicted felon Ralph Myers. The convict had provided highly contradictory testimony to the prosecution in exchange for a plea deal and lighter sentence in his own pending trial. Given these issues, Stevenson appeals to

2112-457: Was defeated for re-nomination by former Chief Justice Roy Moore in 2012. Moore assumed the office a second time beginning in January 2013, and was again suspended from office on May 6, 2016, by the Court of the Judiciary. Associate Justice Lyn Stuart became chief justice on April 26, 2017, when Moore formally resigned from the seat from which he was already suspended. Moore then sought election to

2160-1056: Was highly praised for the similarities between Jim Morrison and actor Val Kilmer , look-wise and singing-wise, but fans and band members did not like the way Val Kilmer portrayed Jim Morrison, and a few of the scenes were even completely made up. In rare cases, sometimes called auto biopics , the subject of the film plays themself. Examples include Jackie Robinson in The Jackie Robinson Story (1950), Muhammad Ali in The Greatest (1977), Audie Murphy in To Hell and Back (1955), Patty Duke in Call Me Anna (1990), Bob Mathias in The Bob Mathias Story (1954), Arlo Guthrie in Alice's Restaurant (1969), Fantasia in Life Is Not

2208-497: Was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role at the 26th Screen Actors Guild Awards . Both he and Michael B. Jordan won NAACP Image Awards for their respective roles. In 1989, Harvard law graduate Bryan Stevenson travels to Alabama , intending to help defend poor people who cannot afford proper legal representation. Teaming with Eva Ansley, he forms the Equal Justice Initiative in

2256-693: Was organized under the governorship of William Wyatt Bibb , and had its beginnings with the Alabama Constitution of 1819, which stated that until the General Assembly deemed otherwise, the functions of the Supreme Court would be handled by the judges of the Alabama circuit courts . The circuit judges were elected by a joint vote of both houses of the Alabama Legislature . These judges met in May 1820 in

2304-550: Was sold to the state during the financially difficult years of the Great Depression . The state acquired and started a remodel of the building in 1938 for the relocation of the Judicial Department, Attorney General and State Law Library. Legislative Act Number 602, 1969 Alabama Acts was passed during Regular Session of 1969. It increased the number of associate justices to eight, bringing the number of court justices to

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