The murder of an abortion doctor at his church in Kansas, referred to by Mr. Hale, was Dr. George Tiller. On May 31, 2009 Tiller was fatally shot by anti-abortion extremist Scott Roeder, as he served as an usher during the Sunday morning service at his church in Wichita. Roeder was convicted of murder on January 29, 2010, and sentenced to life imprisonment without any chance of parole for 50 years. This sentence was later reduced to allow for the possibility of parole after serving 25 years. Tiller survived a previous shooting in 1993.
This episode marks the first time that Olivia is shown visiting her mother's grave on-screen after learning of her mother's death back in season two's Taken (2000).
ADA Sonya Paxton's fender-bender excuse is based on Las Vegas criminal defense lawyer, Joe Caramagno, showing up late to court. In 2006, Caramagno showed up to court smelling of alcohol and slurring his words. When the judge asked for an explanation, Caramagno gave several different attempts at once, including sustaining a head injury in a car crash on the way to court. The judge ordered a Breathalyzer test on the spot, which indicated Caramagno's blood alcohol level to be 0.075 (just below Nevada's legal limit). The judge declared a mistrial on the kidnapping case Caramagno was there to argue, telling the lawyer, "I don't think you can tell a straight story because you are intoxicated".
Det. Munch (Richard Belzer ) mentions "Roe v. Wade". Roe v. Wade (1973) was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States generally protected a right to have an abortion. This episode aired in October 2009. In June 2022, Roe v Wade was overturned, giving the power to decide on abortion rights to 50 states, to determine individually. It triggered a wave of change. Abortion bans were brought in, court cases mounted and clinics closed. 14 states, including most of the South, have enacted near-total bans from the moment of conception. About half of all U.S. states have outlawed abortion or restricted access since 2022.