The Andrew Jackson Defense

Synopsis

Josh “Badger” Chaffin is a 41-year-old prisoner who has spent two decades behind bars. Once defined by violence and poor choices, he has remade himself through years of education, reading, and writing. Now serving a life sentence, he places his hope for freedom in a petition to the governor, a plea he frames through the life of Andrew Jackson, a president whose own violent past might have condemned him under modern laws.

The screenplay moves fluidly between Badger’s present struggles in the prison system and Jackson’s turbulent rise from an impoverished boyhood to the presidency. Inside the prison walls, Badger faces the daily pressures of violence, systemic injustice, drug temptations, and the fragile relationships that keep him grounded. In parallel, the historical sequences follow Jackson as he confronts loss, honor, ambition, and power. The two storylines are tied together by Badger’s reflective voice-over, which highlights the echoes of anger, resilience, and determination that connect the men across centuries.

The Andrew Jackson Defense is a story that asks whether a man who has blood on his hands can ever be judged for who he has become rather than who he once was. The film challenges audiences to consider if true change can outweigh the weight of the past, and whether justice should punish forever or recognize growth when it finally takes root.