A convicted rapist in a high-profile trial from 30 years earlier receives a new trial because of legal technicalities. In addition, prosecutors must try to convict this time without a confession.
An investigation into a horse swindling scheme escalates into a murder investigation when one of the accused's possible victims--his ex fiancée--disappears.
A man serving time in a serial killer case claims malicious prosecution and false imprisonment after a man who killed two more boys confesses to the other murders. All of the evidence points to Jack McCoy and his former assistant.
A crack-addicted, African American mother is accused of murder and kidnapping the baby Child Welfare took from her. Her defense attorney, former A.D.A. Paul Robinette, argues that the entire child welfare system is racist.
A businessman most people suspect got away with conspiring to murder his first wife is now accused of conspiring to kill his second wife. The two cases share eerie similarities.
A hard-luck executive is accused of murdering his wife and son, and injuring his daughter. Dr. Olivet tells prosecutors that he fits the profile of a "family annihilator," but backs down when he refuses to confess on the stand.
A married lawyer is charged with murdering a colleague with whom he was having a gay affair. However, his wife vehemently comes to his defense and threatens revenge on the prosecutors if they pursue the case.
A model is murdered and the evidence points to her driver. He claims he acted under extreme emotional disturbance because he was infatuated with her. However, McCoy later uncovers a connection between the driver and a drug dealer.
A woman is killed after stray bullets travel through her apartment window. Briscoe and Curtis learn that an abused 13-year-old who was forced to work for a drug dealer by his drug-addicted mother was the shooter.
A young British au pair is suspected of poisoning the baby in her care. Her defense tries to create reasonable doubt by emphasizing the neglect of the baby's working mother.
Jack McCoy and his new assistant, Jamie Ross, get off to a rocky start together as they try to prosecute a carjacking/murder suspect after the judge excludes a cassette tape that could prove his guilt.
A woman is charged with murdering her sister, but prosecutors learn that the defendant is actually the other sister--who assumed the real victim's identity. Meanwhile, the judge becomes hostile to the prosecution during the trial.
A white teenager accused of murdering an African-American man claims that she was a date-rape victim, and racial overtones threaten to overpower the actual merits of the case.
To avoid the consequences of a bad shooting, a corrupt police officer makes a deal to cooperate with a commission investigating police corruption. During his testimony, he accuses Briscoe of stealing drugs after an arrest.
A schizophrenic chemistry student is on trial for killing a former school janitor, but a professor claims that he is part of one of his drug studies and that his sickness is under control.
A man is accused of killing his deadbeat, abusive ex son-in-law. He claims self defense, and the outcome of the case rides on determining who was in possession of the murder weapon at the time.
Two feuding daughters of a department store owner are suspects in a murder investigation. Both have motive and connections to the murder weapon, but getting a conviction on either daughter could prove to be difficult.