But Josh suggests making a temporary recess appointment that will at least put the issue on the agenda and Hayden agrees. When Josh goes to suggest this to Leo he is told that the issue will have to wait, as one of the Supreme Court justices has died. Having assumed the ailing Chief Justice, Roy Ashland, was the fatality, Josh is surprised to learn that the dead Justice is 52-year-old Owen Brady, who suffered a heart attack. C. J., meanwhile, tries to reconcile with her boyfriend from college, Ben, whom she has been forced to ignore due to her workload. Based on Ben's reaction at the end of their very brief conversation, C. J. regrets her approach and fears that she may have caused things with Ben to end before they could even begin. Upon voicing this concern to Toby, he advises her to go to Ben and fix it. Ryan Pierce, the intern working for Josh, uncharacteristically fails to show up for work. Josh has failed to notice until Donna voices her concern as she tries, unsuccessfully, to contact Ryan. Social and cultural references The title of the episode refers to the president quoting Galileo Galilei, leaving the Roman Inquisition after having recanted his heliocentric theory of the universe. "Eppur si muove" – "And yet it moves". The story – as Ellie points out – is probably apocryphal, but evidence shows that it was current as early as a decade after Galileo’s trial. The advocacy group "Traditional Values Alliance" is a thinly veiled version of the real-life "Traditional Values Coalition" (TVC). TVC sent a letter of protest to NBC producers, reacting to their portrayal on the show. In particular it was the association with a group stating that "The Lord Hates Homosexuals" that provoked the coalition, reading in this an allusion to the controversial anti-gay pastor Fred Phelps. TVC, the group pointed out in its letter, had clearly distanced itself from Phelps and his methods. The restaurant, "1789", that Ben and C.J. planned lunch at is a real restaurant in Washington. References External links "Eppur Si Muove" at NBC.com "Eppur Si Muove" at The West Wing Episode Guide "Eppur Si Muove" at The West Wing Continuity Guide The West Wing (season 5) episodes 2004 American television episodes