MOVIE OF THE WEEK February 27, 2026: THE INQUISITOR
Trailblazers don’t come much more blazing than Barbara Jordan, the groundbreaking Texas politician/lawyer/all-around bad-ass who’s the subject of director Angela Lynn Tucker’s illuminating documentary The Inquisitor. As the first Black woman to be elected to her home state’s Senate since the Civil War — not to mention the first southern Black woman ever elected to the U.S. House of Representatives — Jordan made an indelible mark on U.S. politics in her all-too-brief time in Washington, D.C.
Through a combination of interviews and vintage footage, Tucker tells Jordan’s story largely chronologically, from her childhood in Houston through her education and entry into the public sphere. Six years after earning her law degree from Boston University in 1959, long-overdue redistricting helped her win election to the Texas State Senate in 1966 — the sole Black person and the sole woman amid a roomful of White men. From the start, she worked to promote progressive legislation that helped benefit her working-class constituents, making strategic alliances within her party.
Those alliances (and more redistricting) helped her get to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1972 and, eventually, to the House Judiciary Committee, where the spotlight turned on her when she gave a memorable speech in 1974 that supported impeaching President Nixon in the wake of the Watergate scandal (her powerful statement “Today, I am an inquisitor” from that speech is the source of the film’s title). And that, in turn, helped make her visible enough to warrant a keynote speech at the 1976 Democratic Convention.
All the while, Jordan was dealing with everything from racism and sexism to significant health challenges: She was diagnosed with MS in 1973, and the illness was a large part of why she left office in 1978. Thanks to homophobia, she also never felt free to be transparent about her relationship with longtime partner Nancy Earl, with whom she shared a life for decades. But Tucker makes it abundantly clear that, through all of this, Jordan was a staunch believer in the Constitution and its promised protections for everyone, and she never stopped advocating for those who needed her the most, always speaking up in favor of equity and equal rights. All of this makes her story resonate especially powerfully today, when so many people are still fighting tooth and nail for the same things. — Betsy Bozdech
Team #MOTW’s comments:
Nell Minow: If the United States Constitution had a voice, it was the clear and clarion voice of Barbara Jordan. In one of the bleakest moments of the 20th century, with the revelations that led to resignations and criminal convictions for many at the top level of government, she reassured us that there were elected officials we could rely on. We all watched as she said, “My faith in the Constitution is whole; it is complete; it is total. And I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the destruction of the Constitution.” This documentary reminds us of what an elected official of unimpeachable integrity and deep understanding looks like, filled with moments to inspire and reminders of what we can expect and what we can be.
Sandie Angulo Chen: The Inquisitor is both a remarkable tribute to former Texas State Senator and Congresswoman Barbara Jordan and a reminder of how diminished our political discourse feels without her. Directed by Angela Tucker, the documentary, airing on PBS’ Independent Lens, chronicles Jordan’s multifaceted life: singer, debater, attorney, teacher, politician, and unapologetic feminist. The doc also acknowledges that Jordan was queer and shared her life with a partner named Nancy Earl, even if she guarded that truth in public. Watching Republicans express admiration for her eloquence (in archival footage and contemporary interviews) feels almost surreal today, but it happened. More than one observer called hers “the voice of God,” and when she spoke, her peers, students, constituents, and the nation listened.
Leslie Combemale One thing many of us have decried of late is the lack of integrity and fearlessness in those representing us in government. Where are the heroic, smart, insightful politicians? Exemplary of all those traits is Barbara Jordan, who was far more than “The Inquisitor” of Angela Lynn Tucker’s documentary. Jordan was a trailblazer, part diplomat, part educator, and a true firebrand. Beyond the archival interviews, photographs, and footage that tells the story of her life and career, Tucker approaches aspects of Jordan’s personal history in a subjective way that allows those moved by her to share how she impacted them. The Inquisitor is an entertaining and enlightening film that celebrates a one of a kind woman. It makes us believe thT it’s possible THAT Jordan inspired someone somewhere who will walk in her footsteps. We could use it right about now.
Jennifer Merin The Inquisitor is the one and only undeniably heroic Barbara Jordan, lifelong civil rights advocate, defender of the U.S. Constitution, and Democrat politician who served in the Texas State Senate from 1867 to 1973 and in the United States House of Representatives from 1973 to 1979. As the first Black women to be elected to those offices, Jordan broke through barriers defined by race and gender prejudice. Documentarian Angela Lynn Tucker uses archival footage and contemporary on camera interviews in her comprehensive chronicle of Congresswoman Jordan’s career accomplishments, and to create an in-depth profile of her public and private life. Barbara Jordan was/is an inspiration, a call to action. She always stood her ground and spoke her mind. People might not always have agreed with her opinion, but when she spoke, they listened. We should listen, too. And this excellent documentary gives us — and our readers — the opportunity to do so.
Loren King Fimmaker Angela Tucker’s astute documentary portrays Barbara Jordan in all her complexity and as a woman of her time. She got things done by compromising with the white men who made up nearly all of Congress in the 1970s yet she fearlessly used her intellect and oratory skills at key moments when democracy itself was on the line. Such moments included the impeachment hearings of President Richard Nixon. This film is a much-needed portrait of political leadership, intellectual curiosity and backbone. Read full review.
Liz Whittemore The Inquisitor is an inspiring documentary that reveals the remarkable legacy of civil rights pioneer Barbara Jordan. Director Angela Tucker gives viewers a rich portrait of a brilliant lawyer, educator, powerful orator, and trailblazing politician who shattered the glass ceiling as the first Southern Black woman elected to Congress. Weaving archival footage with insightful interviews and Jordan’s own commanding voice, the film captures not only her historic role during events like the Nixon impeachment but also the moral clarity that marked her celebrated career. Poignant and timely, The Inquisitor honors Jordan’s legacy in American democracy, highlighting the power of leadership rooted in principle and relentless courage.
Cate Marquis The superb documentary The Inquisitor recalls the remarkable and powerful voice of Barbara Jordan, an indefatigable fighter for the Constitution and civil rights for all. A powerful speaker, U.S. Representative Barbara Jordan called herself an “Inquisitor” at the start of Congress’s proceedings to impeach Richard Nixon. That rousing, patriotic and frankly beautiful speech is included in Angela Lynn Tucker excellent documentary. The Inquisitor recounts Jordan’s rise from her roots as an impoverished but intellectually brilliant Black girl in the Deep South, to break barriers as the first Black elected to the Texas State Senate since Reconstruction and as the first Black woman elected by Texans to the U.S. House. An ally of LBJ, Jordan was a staunch defender of the Constitution and of the rights of ordinary people, particularly the overlooked and under-served. The Inquisitor offers personal and biographical details about Jordan’s remarkable life, rock-solid ethics, and sterling character through archival footage and interviews. The Inquisitor is a fascinating look at a woman who should be better remembered. It instills a wistful sadness that she is no longer with us, to fight her good fight, now when perhaps we most need her.
FILM DETAILS:
Title: The Inquisitor
Director: Angela Lynn Tucker
Release Date: Februry 23, 2025 (Internet)
Running Time: 95 minutes
Language: English
Screenwriters: Documentary
Lead Characters: Jasmine Crockett, Rodney Ellis, Jewell Jackson McCabe, Barbara Jordan, Dan Rather, Alfre Woodard
Distribution Company: Public Broadcasting Service, Independent Lens
AWFJ Movie of the Week Panel Members: Sandie Angulo Chen, Betsy Bozdech, Leslie Combemale, Loren King, Cate Marquis, Jennifer Merin, Nell Minow, Sherin Nicole, Liz Whittemore
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Edited by Jennifer Merin
