Amy grapples with whether she should beef up her own anemic belief in God, miracles and the supernatural. Amy sometimes voices strong, if unsettling, convictions. When a Wiccan witch is put on trial as an unfit mother, Amy supports her beliefs and berates dissenters. As a mom, Amy belittles the efforts of school officials to minimize violent and occultic imagery during a Halloween celebration. Graphic courtroom dissertations and foul language usually take a back seat, but stories of sexual assault, murder and cruelty are routine.
Some images are heart wrenching.
Gruesome photos of a murdered girl are passed around the courtroom as evidence. Amy struggles valiantly to become deserving of the authority granted to her when she puts on her robe. Grandmother, mother and daughter ride out the storms of life and grow to appreciate each other. When Judging Amy resists the temptation to push liberal social agendas as The Practice and Ally McBeal do, it's a thought-provoking conversation starter for mature viewers. When it doesn't, it sentences itself to hard labor as just one more in a growing list of overhyped courtroom dramas.