Dawn Porter Explores Supreme Court In Showtime Docuseries ‘Confirmed’

Peter White
·2 min read

The Supreme Court has been under the lens in a major way after its landmark ruling to reverse Roe v. Wade last week.

Dawn Porter, director of documentaries including The Way I See It and John Lewis: Good Trouble, will now explore the history of the court, the justices, decisions and confirmation battles that have shaped the United States, in four-part docuseries Confirmed for Showtime.

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The series is produced by Porter’s Trilogy Films and Sony Pictures Television and will air in 2023. It comes after Porter struck an overall deal with the Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman-run Industrial Media, which is now owned by Sony.

Porter will direct and exec produce with Holzman and Saidman exec producing for Sony.

From the right to privacy, to access to the ballot, and all rights protected by the Constitution, the nine unelected justices of the Supreme Court have the final word on issues that shape our democracy and daily lives. The series unfolds during a profoundly consequential year, from the historic confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson, the fallout of an unprecedented leak from inside the Court’s chambers, and a Supreme Court, remade by former President Donald Trump, in the wake of overturning Roe v. Wade.

To understand this critical moment, the series looks back at the Court in the 1950s, when Chief Justice Earl Warren heralded an era of progressive legal decisions that set the zigzagging path the country is still walking today. As the Court’s role in American society becomes increasingly prominent and bitterly contested, Confirmed reveals how much of the country’s story is wrapped up in the Supreme Court’s deliberations and considers what this means for America’s future.

“You can easily argue that more than any election or institution, the future of the U.S. will be dictated by the actions of the Supreme Court,” said Vinnie Malhotra, EVP, Nonfiction Programming, Showtime Networks. “Confirmed will bring indispensable context to how we got to this moment in time, while also breaking down the maelstrom of activity that is altering the course of the nation this very year.”

“We’ve been working on this series for months now, but I’ve recently began to describe it as a thriller,” said Porter. “We literally are trying to keep up with a seemingly never-ending story of change. Showtime had the presence of mind to commission this project well before we knew what monumental shifts would occur during production. We hope everyone will tune in to learn more about one of the most powerful influences in America.  The Supreme Court determines our fundamental rights and privileges. We all need to know how it works.”

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