After several failed attempts to seek Senate approval for his Supreme Court nominations, perpetually unpopular President Donald P. Vanderdamp (nicknamed "Don Veto" by Congress) decides to get even by nominating Judge Pepper Cartwright, star of Courtroom Six and America's most popular TV judge, to the Supreme Court.

Soon, Cartwright finds herself in the middle of a constitutional crisis, a Presidential campaign, and entanglements both political and romantic in nature.

As described by Buckley on The Daily Show on October 21, 2008, the judge character is an attractive, gun-toting, glasses-wearing spitfire who is inexperienced in politics, drawing the obvious comparison to 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin.

However, Buckley finished the novel in January, months before Senator John McCain announced his choice.

"[1] Many media pundits recognized the book's main conflict between the chairman and Judge Cartwright as directly paralleling the contest between Vice-Presidential Democratic nominee Joe Biden and Republican nominee Sarah Palin.