While complaining about the low image quality of the ATM camera the video tech says "the same goobers that built Hubble built this camera." She is referring to the fact that the primary mirror in the Hubble Space Telescope was ground the wrong shape due to a defective sensor that was built specifically to measure the thickness of the mirror which was the most precisely figured optical mirror ever made at the time, with a smoothness variation of less than 10 nanometers. The flawed sensor caused the mirror to be too flat around the edge by about 2,200 nanometers. This in turn led to images taken by the telescope to be out of focus, it could take images of local objects without much issue, but when it came to taking images of really bright objects like local stars, or really dim objects like distant galaxies, the images were too distorted. To-date it was the largest and most expensive blunder in NASA's history and Hubble became the butt of a lot of jokes at the time. NASA eventually found a solution, they designed special lenses to bring the light coming off the mirror back into focus, the lenses were installed during the first scheduled maintenance mission for Hubble in 1993, three years after its launch.
This episode appears to be based on several cases/incidents:
- The 1993 Ellie Nesler case. In 1993 Nesler shot and killed Daniel Mark Driver, a man who had been accused of child molestation after the abuse of five boys (including her then-six-year-old son, William), in the courtroom of the Jamestown Justice Court during the preliminary hearing on the charges against him.
- The 1981 Marianne Bachmeier case in Germany. In March 1981, Marianne Bachmeier opened fire in a crowded courtroom and killed Klaus Grabowski - the man on trial for murdering her 7-year-old daughter. On 2 November 1982, Marianne Bachmeier was initially charged in court with murder. Later the prosecution dropped the murder charge. After 28 days of negotiations, the Board agreed on the verdict. Four months after the opening of proceedings she was convicted on 2 March 1983 by the Circuit Court Chamber of the District Court Lübeck for manslaughter and sentenced for unlawful possession of a firearm to six years in prison but was later released after serving three years.
- The 1965 Alice Crimmins case. Crimmins was charged with killing her two children, 5-year-old Eddie Jr. and 4-year-old Alice Marie both of whom went missing on July 14, 1965. Alice Marie's body was found that day, and Eddie Jr.'s was found five days later.
At the conclusion of Mrs Gaines' trial the court clerk the judge nodded to next to him who stood up and said 'the defendant will rise' is Michael Noth, the brother of Chris Noth.
Danny Mastrogiorgio has played three different roles over the course of the series:
- Episode 6.1 Bitter Fruit (1995) - Perry Behrens (as Daniel Mastrogiorgio).
- Episode 10.16 Trade This (2000) - Bruce Valentine.
- Episode 18.7 Quit Claim (2008) - Nicky Fatone.