Casey Novak
Encyclopedia
Casey Novak is a fictional character
on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
, portrayed by Diane Neal
. She is the only female assistant district attorney
(ADA) to have appeared in five complete seasons in any Law & Order
series and the longest-running ADA in the entire franchise.
's office since 2001. While sometimes deeply affected by the horrific crimes she deals with on the job, does not often reveal her emotions. Although she quickly loses her innocence when dealing with sex crimes
, she still shows uneasiness when dealing with the gray areas of human involvement, preferring the letter of the law to the messiness of each individual reality. Nonetheless, Novak has a 71 percent success rate in the cases she prosecutes, whereas the average for prosecutors is 44 percent.
It is revealed that in her final year of law school, Novak was engaged to a man, Charlie, who suffered from schizophrenia
. She ended the relationship when his symptoms became so severe she felt she could no longer be intimate with him. In 2002 Charlie attacked her in her home during a psychotic
episode. She convinced the police not to press charges, but ended the relationship. He eventually became homeless
, and was found dead as a "John Doe
" in the spring of 2007. She developed a deep compassion for the mentally ill
afterward, and still feels guilty for not being able to help him. Olivia Benson
(Mariska Hargitay
) tries to comfort her over it by pointing out that she had to save herself, but Novak believes that that ultimately left no one to save him.
In the season 6 episode "Goliath", Novak states that she is a big supporter of the U.S military
. She explains that her father was an M60
Door gunner
on a Huey
during the Vietnam War
. His helicopter crashed three times and he received a Purple Heart
.
ADA Novak lives in an apartment in the Upper West Side
of New York City
. She is Catholic
. She used to work serving at tables in order to pay for her college tuition.
Novak is a redhead
, although she had her hair dyed strawberry blonde and blonde for some of her appearances. She is also an avid softball
player and a batter, for which she received a framed plate with the saying "Thank you, Casey Novak!", which she had on display at her office. In the episode "Mean", while cross-examining one of the teens, she reveals that her birthstone is sapphire, making her month of birth September.
in October 2003, after Alexandra Cabot (Stephanie March
), thought to be dead, transfers into the Witness Protection Program. During her first case, Novak has a hard time dealing with it as it deals with children, but ultimately helps solve the crime herself, coming along in the search for the victim to see if she could handle it, helping to figure out where the perpetrator went and finding and rescuing the young girl herself. Following her first case, Novak asks District Attorney
Arthur Branch
(Fred Thompson) to reassign her because she feels she could not handle the intensity of prosecuting sex crimes, especially those committed against children. Branch refuses, saying that he had been eying her for the job for some time, and thought that she was a perfect choice for the position. He said her first case was the ultimate test, and she passed with flying colors. Even though the acts of sexual abuse
she sees daily still repulse her, she has become more at ease with her work.
Novak arrives on the scene with guns blazing, intent on leaving her mark on the bureau, and immediately approaches detectives Elliot Stabler
(Christopher Meloni
) and Olivia Benson by taking a hands-on approach, second-guessing their detective work and interfering with their interrogation
of a suspect. Her intuition led to the rescue of a child locked in a cooler on her very first case, and won the temporary respect of the squad. It takes a few months and a candid conversation with Capt. Don Cragen (Dann Florek
) to understand the necessity of working as a team, as she had previously worked with different cops in each case. Not until spring of 2004 does Novak connect on a personal/professional level with the detectives. By September 2004, her relationship with Stabler in particular develops into a level of professional respect and friendship. This is further shown when Stabler is especially enraged when she was attacked, and risks his career by threatening the man he believed to have done it.
Novak has a somewhat adversarial relationship with her former supervisor and mentor, Elizabeth Donnelly
(Judith Light
). Novak often finds herself at odds with Donnelly, and in one case, Novak forces her (acting upon a directive from Branch) to recuse herself from a case. Occasionally, she finds herself opposing attorneys
with whom she has worked before.
After deliberately sabotaging a competency hearing for a schizophrenic child rapist
to avoid him being extradited
to Louisiana
where he would face the death penalty, Manhattan's new DA Jack McCoy
(Sam Waterston
) calls Novak into his office and threatens to fire her and have her disbarred if she abuses the authority of the DA's office again.
After violating due process
(see Brady v. Maryland
) while prosecuting a corrupt police officer who rape
d two 14-year-old illegal immigrants
, she is called to Donnelly's chambers and informed that the DA had declined to refile charges against the defendant and that Novak would be facing censure
or suspension by the Bar
. In the second episode of season 10, it is asserted by ADA Kim Greylek that Novak was disbarred for the violation. However, in Novak's return episode, "Reparations
", it is revealed she was not disbarred but rather simply censured - having her license suspended for three years. In "Reparations", she is re-hired by the District Attorney's office and finds herself at odds with Law & Order: Los Angeles
DDA Joe Dekker, who is the defendant's lawyer as well as relative.
Novak has appeared in 112 episodes of the Law & Order
franchise (111 episodes in SVU and one in Law & Order: Trial By Jury
), making her the longest-serving ADA in the franchise.
Novak, along with ADA Alex Cabot, returned to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit for its 13th season.
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...
, portrayed by Diane Neal
Diane Neal
Diane Neal is an American actress widely known for her role as Casey Novak on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.-Biography:...
. She is the only female assistant district attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
(ADA) to have appeared in five complete seasons in any Law & Order
Law & Order (franchise)
The Law & Order franchise is a number of related American television series created by Dick Wolf and originally broadcast on NBC, all of which deal with some aspect of the criminal justice system...
series and the longest-running ADA in the entire franchise.
Character
Casey Novak is a young and focused senior-assistant district attorney who's been with the Manhattan DANew York County District Attorney
The New York County District Attorney is the elected district attorney for New York County , New York. The office is responsible for the prosecution of violations of New York state laws....
's office since 2001. While sometimes deeply affected by the horrific crimes she deals with on the job, does not often reveal her emotions. Although she quickly loses her innocence when dealing with sex crimes
Sex and the law
In general, laws proscribe acts which are considered either sexual abuse, or behavior that societies consider to be inappropriate and against the social norms. In addition, certain categories of activity may be considered crimes even if freely consented to...
, she still shows uneasiness when dealing with the gray areas of human involvement, preferring the letter of the law to the messiness of each individual reality. Nonetheless, Novak has a 71 percent success rate in the cases she prosecutes, whereas the average for prosecutors is 44 percent.
It is revealed that in her final year of law school, Novak was engaged to a man, Charlie, who suffered from schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
. She ended the relationship when his symptoms became so severe she felt she could no longer be intimate with him. In 2002 Charlie attacked her in her home during a psychotic
Psychosis
Psychosis means abnormal condition of the mind, and is a generic psychiatric term for a mental state often described as involving a "loss of contact with reality"...
episode. She convinced the police not to press charges, but ended the relationship. He eventually became homeless
Homelessness
Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are unable or unwilling to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence." The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country...
, and was found dead as a "John Doe
John Doe
The name "John Doe" is used as a placeholder name in a legal action, case or discussion for a male party, whose true identity is unknown or must be withheld for legal reasons. The name is also used to refer to a male corpse or hospital patient whose identity is unknown...
" in the spring of 2007. She developed a deep compassion for the mentally ill
Mental illness
A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...
afterward, and still feels guilty for not being able to help him. Olivia Benson
Olivia Benson
Det. Olivia "Liv" Benson is a fictional character on the NBC police procedural drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, portrayed by Mariska Hargitay. She is the former partner of Elliot Stabler. In Season 13, her partner will be Nick Amaro...
(Mariska Hargitay
Mariska Hargitay
Mariska Hargitay is an American actress, best known for her role as New York City sex crimes Detective Olivia Benson on the NBC television drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, a role that has earned her multiple awards and nominations, including an Emmy and Golden Globe.The daughter of actress...
) tries to comfort her over it by pointing out that she had to save herself, but Novak believes that that ultimately left no one to save him.
In the season 6 episode "Goliath", Novak states that she is a big supporter of the U.S military
Military of the United States
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
. She explains that her father was an M60
M60 machine gun
The M60 is a family of American general-purpose machine guns firing 7.62×51mm NATO cartridges from a disintegrating belt of M13 links...
Door gunner
Door gunner
A door gunner is a crewman tasked with firing and maintaining manually directed armament aboard a helicopter. The actual role will vary depending on the task given on a particular mission.- Origins :...
on a Huey
UH-1 Iroquois
The Bell UH-1 Iroquois is a military helicopter powered by a single, turboshaft engine, with a two-bladed main rotor and tail rotor. The helicopter was developed by Bell Helicopter to meet the United States Army's requirement for a medical evacuation and utility helicopter in 1952, and first flew...
during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. His helicopter crashed three times and he received a Purple Heart
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
.
ADA Novak lives in an apartment in the Upper West Side
Upper West Side
The Upper West Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River and between West 59th Street and West 125th Street...
of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. She is Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
. She used to work serving at tables in order to pay for her college tuition.
Novak is a redhead
Red hair
Red hair occurs on approximately 1–2% of the human population. It occurs more frequently in people of northern or western European ancestry, and less frequently in other populations...
, although she had her hair dyed strawberry blonde and blonde for some of her appearances. She is also an avid softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
player and a batter, for which she received a framed plate with the saying "Thank you, Casey Novak!", which she had on display at her office. In the episode "Mean", while cross-examining one of the teens, she reveals that her birthstone is sapphire, making her month of birth September.
As the SVU prosecutor
Novak prosecuted white collar crimes before being assigned full-time to the 16th PrecinctPrecinct
A precinct is a space enclosed by the walls or other boundaries of a particular place or building, or by an arbitrary and imaginary line drawn around it. The term has several different uses...
in October 2003, after Alexandra Cabot (Stephanie March
Stephanie March
Stephanie Caroline March is an American actress, best known for her current portrayal of Alexandra Cabot on the television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.-Early life:...
), thought to be dead, transfers into the Witness Protection Program. During her first case, Novak has a hard time dealing with it as it deals with children, but ultimately helps solve the crime herself, coming along in the search for the victim to see if she could handle it, helping to figure out where the perpetrator went and finding and rescuing the young girl herself. Following her first case, Novak asks District Attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
Arthur Branch
Arthur Branch
Arthur Branch is a fictional attorney and a regular character on the TV crime dramas Law & Order and Law & Order: Trial by Jury. Branch has also appeared on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and Conviction....
(Fred Thompson) to reassign her because she feels she could not handle the intensity of prosecuting sex crimes, especially those committed against children. Branch refuses, saying that he had been eying her for the job for some time, and thought that she was a perfect choice for the position. He said her first case was the ultimate test, and she passed with flying colors. Even though the acts of sexual abuse
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault. The offender is referred to as a sexual abuser or molester...
she sees daily still repulse her, she has become more at ease with her work.
Novak arrives on the scene with guns blazing, intent on leaving her mark on the bureau, and immediately approaches detectives Elliot Stabler
Elliot Stabler
Det. Elliot "El" Stabler is a fictional character on the TV crime drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, portrayed by Christopher Meloni. He was the partner of Olivia Benson before retiring, following a shooting.-Character overview:...
(Christopher Meloni
Christopher Meloni
Christopher Peter Meloni is an American actor. He is best known for his television roles as NYPD Detective Elliot Stabler on the NBC police drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and as inmate Chris Keller on the HBO prison drama Oz.-Early life:Meloni was born the youngest of three children in...
) and Olivia Benson by taking a hands-on approach, second-guessing their detective work and interfering with their interrogation
Interrogation
Interrogation is interviewing as commonly employed by officers of the police, military, and Intelligence agencies with the goal of extracting a confession or obtaining information. Subjects of interrogation are often the suspects, victims, or witnesses of a crime...
of a suspect. Her intuition led to the rescue of a child locked in a cooler on her very first case, and won the temporary respect of the squad. It takes a few months and a candid conversation with Capt. Don Cragen (Dann Florek
Dann Florek
Ezekial Dann Florek , professional name Dann Florek, is an American actor and director.-Early life:Florek was born in Flat Rock, Michigan. He attended Eastern Michigan University, but never graduated...
) to understand the necessity of working as a team, as she had previously worked with different cops in each case. Not until spring of 2004 does Novak connect on a personal/professional level with the detectives. By September 2004, her relationship with Stabler in particular develops into a level of professional respect and friendship. This is further shown when Stabler is especially enraged when she was attacked, and risks his career by threatening the man he believed to have done it.
Novak has a somewhat adversarial relationship with her former supervisor and mentor, Elizabeth Donnelly
Elizabeth Donnelly
Elizabeth Donnelly is a fictional character on the NBC crime drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, portrayed by Judith Light since 2002.-Character overview:...
(Judith Light
Judith Light
Judith Ellen Light is an American actress. Her television roles include Karen Wolek on the soap opera One Life to Live, Angela Bower on the sitcom Who's the Boss?, Claire Meade on ABC's TV series Ugly Betty and Judge Elizabeth "Liz" Donnelly on Law & Order Special Victims Unit.-Early life:Light...
). Novak often finds herself at odds with Donnelly, and in one case, Novak forces her (acting upon a directive from Branch) to recuse herself from a case. Occasionally, she finds herself opposing attorneys
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
with whom she has worked before.
After deliberately sabotaging a competency hearing for a schizophrenic child rapist
Child sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include asking or pressuring a child to engage in sexual activities , indecent exposure with intent to gratify their own sexual desires or to...
to avoid him being extradited
Extradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
to Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
where he would face the death penalty, Manhattan's new DA Jack McCoy
Jack McCoy
John James "Jack" McCoy is a fictional character in the television drama Law & Order, created by Michael S. Chernuchin and played by Sam Waterston since 1994. He is the second-longest tenured character on the show, after Lt. Anita Van Buren . On January 28, 2009, McCoy's character ended the longest...
(Sam Waterston
Sam Waterston
Samuel Atkinson "Sam" Waterston is an American actor and occasional producer and director. Among other roles, he is noted for his Academy Award-nominated portrayal of Sydney Schanberg in 1984's The Killing Fields, and his Golden Globe- and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning portrayal of Jack McCoy...
) calls Novak into his office and threatens to fire her and have her disbarred if she abuses the authority of the DA's office again.
After violating due process
Due process
Due process is the legal code that the state must venerate all of the legal rights that are owed to a person under the principle. Due process balances the power of the state law of the land and thus protects individual persons from it...
(see Brady v. Maryland
Brady v. Maryland
Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83 , was a United States Supreme Court case in which the prosecution had withheld from the criminal defendant certain evidence. The defendant challenged his conviction, arguing it had been contrary to the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United...
) while prosecuting a corrupt police officer who rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
d two 14-year-old illegal immigrants
Illegal immigration
Illegal immigration is the migration into a nation in violation of the immigration laws of that jurisdiction. Illegal immigration raises many political, economical and social issues and has become a source of major controversy in developed countries and the more successful developing countries.In...
, she is called to Donnelly's chambers and informed that the DA had declined to refile charges against the defendant and that Novak would be facing censure
Censure
A censure is an expression of strong disapproval or harsh criticism. Among the forms that it can take are a stern rebuke by a legislature, a spiritual penalty imposed by a church, and a negative judgment pronounced on a theological proposition.-Politics:...
or suspension by the Bar
Bar (law)
Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...
. In the second episode of season 10, it is asserted by ADA Kim Greylek that Novak was disbarred for the violation. However, in Novak's return episode, "Reparations
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 12)
The 12th season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premiered on September 22, 2010 on NBC and concluded on May 18, 2011. The timeslot was moved from 10 p.m. to 9 p.m. for the NBC broadcast in 2010...
", it is revealed she was not disbarred but rather simply censured - having her license suspended for three years. In "Reparations", she is re-hired by the District Attorney's office and finds herself at odds with Law & Order: Los Angeles
Law & Order: Los Angeles
Law & Order: LA, originally titled Law & Order: Los Angeles, is an American police procedural and legal drama television series set in Los Angeles, where it was produced...
DDA Joe Dekker, who is the defendant's lawyer as well as relative.
Novak has appeared in 112 episodes of the Law & Order
Law & Order (franchise)
The Law & Order franchise is a number of related American television series created by Dick Wolf and originally broadcast on NBC, all of which deal with some aspect of the criminal justice system...
franchise (111 episodes in SVU and one in Law & Order: Trial By Jury
Law & Order: Trial by Jury
Law & Order: Trial by Jury is an American television drama about criminal trials set in New York City. It was the third spin-off from the long-running Law & Order. The show's almost exclusive focus was on the criminal trial of the accused, showing both the prosecution's and defense's preparation...
), making her the longest-serving ADA in the franchise.
Novak, along with ADA Alex Cabot, returned to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit for its 13th season.