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{{Infobox Television episode
{{R with history}} {{R from episode|The West Wing}}
| Title = Take This Sabbath Day
| Series = ]
| Image = ]
| Caption =
| Season = 1
| Episode = 14
| Airdate = February 9 2000
| Production = 225913
| Writer = ] (teleplay)<br>] & ] and Aaron Sorkin (story)
| Director = ]
| Guests = ]<br>]<br>]<br>]<br>]<br>]<br>]<br>]<br>]
| Episode list = ]
| Season list = {{Infobox The West Wing season 1 episode list}}
| Prev =
| Next =
}}

"'''Take This Sabbath Day'''" is the 14th episode of '']''. The episode addresses the ] and the ] government's custom of not scheduling executions between sundown Friday and sundown Sunday in order to avoid conducting an execution on either the ] ] or ] ] days. The episode also introduces the recurring character of ].

==Plot==
After a death penalty appeal is rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court, one of the defense attorneys (]) reaches out to ] for help, he knows him because "I used to beat him up in high school." The case involves a drug dealer who killed two other dealers and is eligible for capital punishment under a new omnibus crime bill. The court renders its judgment on a Friday, and the execution is to take place at midnight on Monday. The convict's only hope is to have his sentence commuted by ].

Sam makes an effort to persuade ] to help convince the President to commute the sentence; he gives the convict's attorney the location of Toby's ] and the ] in turn delivers a sermon condemning vengeance. The issue is later laid before the President, who is conflicted. Press secretary ] and media consultant ] discuss C.J.'s obligation to learn personal information about the prisoner to share with the press, and the fact that while neither personally have strong feelings on either side of the death-penalty debate, learning this personal information about the man who is to die make the task more emotional.

Meanwhile, ] has a meeting with an irate campaign manager from California named ] (]), who proceeds to berate him for cutting her Congressional candidate's funding. Josh is taken aback by both Joey's brilliance and beauty, and surprised by the fact that she is also ]. The president, walking the halls to think about the decision he faces, invites Joey to tour the White House with him and asks her opinion on the death penalty. As a ], she is opposed, and they discuss ancient Christian philosophers who have supported the penalty. Like Toby's rabbi, she believes these older doctrines are outweighed by modern knowledge. She also raises the subject of her candidate, but Bartlet tells her he considers the candidate inadequate, though he would like to be informed if she finds a more worthy politician for his support.

Bartlet continues to agonize over the death penalty issue and asks for guidance. While he is personally opposed to the death penalty, he recognizes that most Americans support it and does not feel that his personal beliefs can legitimately overrule the wishes of the American public. He expresses concern that if he commutes the sentence due to his personal beliefs and his presidential successor does not commute sentences, a violation of the ] prohibition against "]" will be created. ] advises the President that if such a precedent is his only obstacle, then for once, "let that be the next guy's problem." The president indicates to Leo that he will not commute the sentence. Although Sam is waiting in the outer office armed with arguments for commuting the sentence and insists he should be allowed to present them, Leo sends him away, declaring that he has known the president long enough to recognize when he has made a decision beyond persuasion.

Prior to Joey Lucas leaving D.C., Josh arranges to meet with her at her hotel, where he offers the president's apology for any rudeness during their encounter and his renewed offer to support a better candidate. She asks if he had offered any suggestions, to which Josh replied that the president believed Joey herself should run. The episode concludes with Bartlet discussing the matter with his boyhood parish priest (played by ], in his last screen acting role before his death), who upholds Catholic doctrine against the death penalty; after C.J. enters with confirmation that the execution has concluded, the priest prepares to administer to Bartlet the ].

==Title==
The title of the episode is a reference to the bible, in which God instructs, "Observe/Safeguard the Sabbath day," in the ], ] 5:1-22. It references the scene in which Sam explains to Leo, "We don't execute people between sundown Friday and sundown Sunday" because of Sabbath. The rabbi also notes that he had hoped his sermon might prompt Toby to "take this Sabbath day" to consider how to advise the president. On the DVD commentary track for this episode on ''The West Wing: Season 1'', series creator ] notes that the writing staff had urged him to write an episode addressing the death penalty, but that he had not found any inspiration for a plot until he learned of the fact that the government avoided scheduling executions on Sabbath.<ref name="dvd-track"">Aaron Sorkin. "Take This Sabbath Day" commentary track, ''The West Wing: Season 1''.</ref>

==Emmy Awards==
;Nominated:
* Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (nominee: ])

==Trivia==
*This was the last television or film performance of ] veteran ].
*Donna's reason for being late to bring Josh his clothes was that she had trouble on ], something that was also joked about in Sorkin's film '']''.

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*
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{{WestWing-stub}}

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