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DiggFred Thompson returns to politics
By Lila Holland - TV.comLaw & Order star Fred Thompson, who has served as a U.S. Senator and was part of the Watergate investigation in the 1970s, will advise George Bush's nominee to the Supreme Court.
Law & Order may adjust its production schedule so that Fred Thompson can juggle careers in acting and politics.
Fred Thompson, Law & Order star and former Republican senator, has agreed to act as advisor to the next Supreme Court nominee.
The position opened up last week when Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court, announced her retirement after 24 terms. President George Bush will nominate a replacement, who must then be confirmed by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Thompson, who has served on the Committee himself, will guide the nominee through the confirmation process.
Thompson began his political career when he became an assistant US attorney in 1969. He was a congressional lawyer during the Watergate hearings, and later took on a Tennessee Parole Board case that resulted in Tennessee Governor Ray Blanton falling from grace on charges of selling pardons. Thompson's acting career was launched when he starred in Marie, a movie based on the book he wrote about the Blanton scandal.
After tasting the spotlight with Marie, Thompson went on to appear in films such as The Hunt for Red October, Barbarians at the Gate, Cape Fear, and Die Hard 2. He bounced back into politics in 1994, when he ran for and won the Senate seat left vacant by the resignation of Al Gore. He was reelected for a second term, which ended in 2003, and then returned to acting with his role on Law & Order.
Production of Law & Order is on hold through the rest of July, but shooting schedules might have to be rearranged if Thompson's political duties continue past then.
