Alan Dershowitz is one of the attorneys Trump selected to represent him in the impeachment hearing before the Senate.  Saturday Night Live responded by running a skit showing Dershowitz as the Devil's handmaiden.  It wasn't funny, and it degraded the important constitutional space Dershowitz occupies, not just because he's one of the most famous criminal law and constitutional lawyers in America, but also because he's willing to take on disfavored cases.

Dershowitz has taught at Harvard Law School for fifty-five years.  He is considered one of America's premier criminal and constitutional lawyers.  Because of his rarefied position, Dershowitz can pick and choose clients.  At his level, he has no interest in garden-variety cases.  He embraces the challenge of those cases in which the media have already judged the accused and found him guilty.  Moreover, he likes cases that implicate interesting constitutional principles.

Trump's impeachment pings both of those considerations: it's a case the media have pre-judged, and it raises significant constitutional principles.  Dershowitz is a die-hard Democrat.  This means that his love for the Constitution and his belief in President Trump's innocence of the allegations against him in the politically charged articles of impeachment must both be very strong.

Additionally, Dershowitz's representing disfavored defendants, whether in criminal courts or in the Senate, is one of the most important things a lawyer can do.  In America, the government is policeman, judge, jury, and executioner.  It has all the power, and its employees know every in and out of the law.

No individual, no matter how bad he is or is alleged to be, should have to face the awesome majesty, weight, and penal power of the government without a knowledgeable friend at his side.  The same holds true for a president facing a hostile House of Representatives, which has a vast staff to call upon and, in this case, also the media at its beck and call.

Dershowitz's willingness to represent President Trump, as opposed to a criminal defendant such as Jeffrey Epstein or O.J. Simpson, has exposed Dershowitz to extraordinary hatred from the Democrat Party and the media:

Dershowitz has faced an unprecedented barrage of criticism ahead of presenting his argument against impeachment, which will focus on constitutional issues. He has been smeared by Democrats and journalists alike, with lead House impeachment manager Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) attacking him for two days in a row as a mere "criminal defense lawyer," and not a "reputable constitutional law expert." CNN's legal and political analysts have attacked him for defending controversial clients in the past, including O.J. Simpson; some have tried to link him to Epstein's crimes.

Alan Dershowitz told Hannity on Friday: "I have never experienced the kind of McCarthyism that I am getting from left-wing lawyers and others attacking me, attacking my motives, attacking my family, attacking every aspect of my life because I had the gall to stand up for the Constitution on behalf of a president they hate."

That hatred perfectly illustrates why, in a civilized society, those charged with wrongdoing need a knowledgeable friend at their side.

Principles don't matter to Saturday Night Live, which decided to send Dershowitz, played by Jon Lovitz, on a visit to Hell, presided over by Kate McKinnon's Satan, on the weekend before the real Dershowitz is to appear in the Senate to defend President Trump.

The sketch starts slowly, with Mitch McConnell talking to Susan Collins.  Dershowitz shows up, clutches his heart, and the sketch goes to the real location: Hell, where Satan assures Dershowitz she's a big fan, for she considers him the GOAT.  When she asks if there's anyone he wouldn't represent, Dershowitz says, "As long as a client is famous enough to get me on TV, it's all good."

Then there are the reunions.  Adam Driver, as Jeffrey Epstein, appears.  Dershowitz says, "Great to see ya!  Whatcha been doing?"  Epstein, replies, "Just hangin'."  It's a painfully stupid pun, reminding us that the sole purpose of the Epstein character's appearance is to associate Epstein and Dershowitz in the public's mind.  Mitch McConnell also makes an appearance in Hell (he visits it as a sauna), allowing Satan to ask if her idea about Merrick Garland worked well.

The sketch isn't clever, it isn't informed, and it isn't funny.  (Except, maybe, for the Baby Shark reference.)  Mostly, though, it exists to denigrate one of Trump's attorneys as Trump's legal team prepares to make his case, not just to the Senate, but to the American people:

Intelligent, fair-minded political humor can be enjoyed by everyone and is a great safety valve for political disputes.  Saturday Night Live failed to meet this metric.