The Benign Prerogative

S5, E11: Toby finishes the State of the Union Address a few weeks early, and a pregnant Joey Lucas (recurring guest star Marlee Matlin - "Children of a Lesser God") polls responses to the speech from everyday people. Charlie is intrigued by Meeshell Anders (Gabrielle Union - "Friends"), an aspiring female journalist with a secret. Abbey pressures her husband to pardon a Native American tribal leader convicted of killing two FBI agents in North Dakota. Bartlet opposes minimums and guidelines for prison sentences and pardons over 30 inmates. And Toby hires a new assistant, Rena (recurring guest star Melissa Marsala).