Amy has a tough first day as a criminal court judge when she feels like she's being judged by everyone else. On her second day, she makes the bold decision to overturn a decision by her predecessor, and also to fire her predecessor's clerk and hire Donna in his place. Lauren has a tough first day of junior high, but her second day is better when she meets a cute guy that stayed back a year and is now in her home room. Amy is a little nervous about being engaged to Stu, but finally lets him get her an engagement ring. Maxine likes a new social worker in her office, Ellen, who is able to draw on her own experience as a foster child to help others. Gillian, who has been in a coma for eight weeks, finally wakes up just as Peter is being forced to deal with moving her to a hospice.

Stu wants a big wedding while Amy doesn't, so he offers to do all the planning. Stu and Amy run into David McClaren at a cocktail party and David is particularly annoying to Amy... although he apologizes the next day. Amy continues to preside over the high-profile wife-murdering case, and the jury finds the defendant guilty. Amy struggles with being a judge in a jury trial and feeling like she's not doing anything. Gillian comes home and is a little bit disoriented. She tells Peter that she had an out-of-body experience when she died, but he doesn't believe her. Kyle continues to try to get Lily not to go to Sloan-Kettering. Kyle and Lily have a quickie in the hospital elevator, but Lily is still determined to leave. Kyle throws his name in the hat for her replacement. Maxine mourns a foster child that was kidnapped and murdered, and no one really paid any attention to her until her body was discovered.

Maxine and Amy aren't getting along. Maxine wonders where she will live after Amy and Stuart get married, and she thinks Amy made a bad call allowing a 7-year-old girl to testify in court about her brother's death. When Ellen quits DCF, Maxine worries that she pushed the woman into doing things she wasn't ready for. Maxine finally admits to Sean that part of her is jealous that it's Amy getting married and not her. Kyle goes out drinking with a friend from the hospital and can't remember how he got home. The next day Kyle helps bust a guy who wiped out most of a family driving drunk (leaving a young boy an orphan). When his friend asks him to go out again that night, Kyle turns him down. Gillian has a hard time with her new baby who barely knows her. Peter tries to be comforting, but just sort of rubs it in that Gillian missed out on the beginning of her new child's life. Peter is pleased to come home and find Gillian and the kids all peacefully asleep together. Lauren blames her teacher for her poor grade in math. When Amy tries to talk the teacher, she realizes she hasn't been paying as much attention to Lauren's school life as she should, and she decides to get more involved. Amy tells Lauren she can't date boys when Lauren says that a boy will be calling her.

Amy and Stuart have trouble planning a honeymoon because they want such drastically different things from a vacation. After fighting over it, they both bend over backwards to accomodate the other and finally find peace and plan a trip to Hawaii. Amy is a little disturbed when she finds Lauren holding hands with a boy after school. Lauren tries to make her mother promise her that her marriage to Stuart won't get screwed up like her first marriage. Maxine is still considering where she should live after Amy gets married, and tells Peter she wants to buy a small house. Peter tells Maxine she'll have to sell the diner that Jared gave her, since it's losing money. Maxine says she'll do it, but when it comes down to it, she realizes she's not ready to let it go. Maxine helps a mother of two boys who is so paranoid about government and corporate conspiracy that she's stunting her sons' lives and making them targets of bullies at school. Amy doesn't know whether to be impressed or disgusted by Zola Knox's staunch defense of a famous football player accused of rape. Kyle interviews for a promotion at work. Kyle fights for a young girl's life who needs a kidney transplant. A young boy with the correct blood type comes in brain-dead from a bicycle accident, and Kyle works on the boy's unsure grandmother and drug-addicted mother to convince them to donate the boy's kidney.

Maxine can't help but feel that it isn't fair that Amy's the one getting married instead of her tying the knot with Jared. As she struggles to be happy for her daughter, a boy with a history of making false abuse allegations comes to DCF claiming to be terrified of his mom's new boyfriend. Meanwhile, Amy's concerned when a man accused of trying to kill a Catholic priest elects to represent himself in court; and Kyle's waiting on pins and needles to see if he landed the attending-physician job. As an exercise in self-learning, Gillian writes her own obituary, which causes a rift between her and Peter.

Amy's first capital murder case has reached the sentencing phase, which is nerve-racking enough without the added headache of ASA David McClaren making comments in his closing remarks that she deems to be inappropriate and force her to stop the trial. With the wedding only a week away, a dinner date Amy has arranged for Lauren and Stu brings to the surface Stu's hidden fear of kids. Kyle meets his new boss, whom he had encountered earlier at an AA meeting, so naturally they get off to an awkward start.

Vincent makes a surprise trip home two days before Amy's wedding. Amy is under major stress as her trip to the altar draws near at the same time arguments are being heard in a felony murder case involving a 14-year-old defendant charged in the shooting death of a police officer's son. Amy finds herself having second thought about marrying Stu. The groomsmen become disgruntled when they learn Stu wants them to wear kilts to the wedding. Maxine also feels on edge because she has yet to find an apartment and is expected to entertain Stu's visiting mom.

Amy's honeymoon is cut short and she arrives home from Maui to discover it's not just her love life that's a mess. Her job performance has come under scrutiny by a superior who strongly suggests Amy meet with a counselor. Amy decides to go back to juvenile court. Working with Amy again spurs Bruce to admit his true feelings about Amy's relationship with Stu. Kyle has a work-related predicament of his own when his new boss orders him to fire a nurse. Maxine does a favor for Sean by paying a visit to a Russian orphan and the seemingly caring American family who wants to adopt her, but she uncovers sexual abuse in the home.

Amy must decide the fate of a baby torn between two teenage parents from different cultures; Amy runs into David at a private school open house for their children. Guest starring Timothy Omundson, Adrian Pasdar, Inny Clemons, Christinna Chauncey, Katherine Cunningham-Eves, Ron McLarty, Peter Klausner, Allen Williams, Kevin Kilner, Franc Ross, Jay R. Ferguson, and Daniel E. Smith.

Rating: 8.4/14

Amy's bothered and bewildered on a personal level by David McClaren's seeming lack of attraction to her, while professionally, Judge Gray handles a custody case involving a decidedly offensive shock jock (Tom Arnold). Maxine surprises everyone by using the hours Sean cut from her schedule at DCF to work part-time as a therapist. Kyle agrees to tag along on Heather's lunch date with her dad. Peter is having difficulty connecting with Gillian. Guest starring Adrian Pasdar, Timothy Omundson, Inny Clemons, Jay R. Ferguson, Sarah Danielle Madison, Dave Ruby, Bonnie Burroughs, James Eckhouse, Megan Cole, Tom Arnold, Bob Gunton, George Ball, Vince Melocchi, John Valdetero, Jack Salvatore Jr., David Henrie, Mary Ellen Lyon, Theodore R. Mercer Jr. Directed by Karen Arthur.

Rating: 8.5/14

Amy must decide whether a teenage girl is responsible for another teen's death after the girl pays for and receives advice on a pro-anorexia website. After a tree limb breaks through their kitchen window, Maxine deals with a peculiar landscaper (Cheech Marin as Ignacio Messina) who confronts Maxine about her emotional state. A mother's belief in alternative therapy puts her autistic child in jeopardy. Guest starring Cheech Marin as Ignacio Messina, Adrian Pasdar as ADA David McLaren, Timothy Omundson as Sean Potter, Bob Gunton as Alan Foster, Brenda Wehle, Arye Gross as Mr. Zahmber, Spencer Redford as Nicole Phillips, Sarah Hagan as Maggie Parsons, Delane Matthews as Denise Parsons, Michele Greene as Beth Benfield, Dayne Elliott, Chace Elliott, Vince Grant, John Walcutt, Stephanie Michels, Lew Dauber, Greg Montgomery, and Rico Simonini. Written by Carol Barbee, directed by Martha Mitchell.

Rating: 9.0/15

After Amy goes on a disastrous first date with Assistant District Attorney David McClaren, she fills in for a judge in criminal court and finds herself working with not only McClaren, but a defense attorney named Simon Edgars who was the best man at her first wedding. Maxine decides to have Ignacio design her garden, which involves their going out so that he can get to know her tastes better, so he takes her salsa dancing. Kyle finds himself annoyed at Heather for showing up at the hospital unannounced. Rose Thompson: Jonelle Kennedy. Darwin: Nathaniel Lee Jr.

Rating: 8.4/14

A teenage boy hires a man to impersonate his father in court to prevent Amy from placing him with his mother full-time. Meanwhile, Peter and Lauren bond when Peter moves back into the Gray family home. Maxine learns a grandmother may be partly to blame for continuing a family's cycle of abuse. Guest starring Timothy Omundson as Sean Potter, Adrian Pasdar as David McLaren, Inny Clemons as Robert Clifton, Chris Coppola as delivery guy, Susan Traylor as Ellen Shein, Luke Eberl as Terry Shein, Wendell Pierce as Harry Williams, Lynn Hamilton as Faye Williams, Sarah Danielle Madison as Dr. Heather Labonte, Elisa Donovan as Shelby Crawford, Joe Renteria as Judge Torres, and Margot Rose as Adelle Perlmutter. Written by Alison Carey, directed by Richard Gershman.

Rating: 8.0/13

Amy deliberates whether or not a young boy will be safe living with his father, a reformed criminal, after his mother passes away. Meanwhile, Ignacio joins Maxine and the Gray family at a local country bar to watch Peter perform for the first time with his new band. Amy and David are confronted with questions from their kids regarding the nature of their relationship. Maxine deals with a group of high-schoolers she suspects have made a suicide pact in response to the accidental death of a popular classmate. Directed by Helen Shaver.

Rating: 8.4/14

In Amy's courtroom, a routine case involving a broken bicycle leads to the revelation of incest between a brother and sister. A romantic day with Ignacio is momentarily interrupted when Maxine spies one of her foster parents dressed like a pimp on his way to a kinky hotel sex convention. Bruce agrees to let his ex, Mia (Siena Goines), stay with him while she's in town caring for a sick aunt. Kyle sounds less than enthusiastic about his impending fatherhood. Heather: Sarah Danielle Madison. Lloyd: Dave Ruby. Robert: Inny Clemons. David: Adrian Pasdar. Directed by Jessica Landaw.

Rating: 8.8/14

Amy has the painful job of deciding whether a 9-year-old child who was conceived during a brutal rape should be taken away from his emotionally negligent mother and placed with his paternal grandmom. David invites Amy to attend a grief-counseling session. Maxine offers encouragement to an artistically inclined boy as he tries to channel his anger into a more positive form. Kyle finds it difficult to be supportive of Heather's pregnancy. Maxine meets Ignacio's ex-wife and children and realizes that her own family may be better adjusted than she thought. Directed by Lewis Gould.

Rating: 8.2/13

Amy presides over the case of a woman who completed a welfare-to-work program and now wants custody of her children, who are with foster parents who wish to adopt them. Kyle delivers the baby of a woman who must go to prison without seeing her child. Gillian considers dating. After initially ending their courtship, Amy and David decide to give their relationship another try. Guest starring Eileen Boylan, Timothy Omundson, Adrian Pasdar, Cheech Marin, Jay R. Ferguson, Bobby Nish, Shawn Dreban, Kurt Sinclair, Kimberly Moss, Camille Saviola, Keith Pillow, Melissa M. Lambert, and Joy DeMichelle. Directed by James Frawley.

Rating: 8.4/14

Amy is faced with the negative realities of the foster care system when a teenage girl with little hope for a productive future gets involved with prostitution while living at a shelter. Maxine does some creative juggling to keep a foster mother, suffering from the first stages of Alzheimer's disease, from losing her foster child. Amy is assigned a criminal case in which David is the prosecutor, and she asks him to drop out because of their relationship. Guest starring Patty Duke, Timothy Omundson, Adrian Pasdar, Eddie Jones, Siena Goines, Katherine LaNasa, Indira Gibson, Jon Polito, John Valdetero, Wendy York, Thomas Vincent Kelly, and Lena Cardwell.

Rating: 8.2/14

Amy hears new evidence that may exonerate Danny Hawkins and must decide whether or not to retry his case. Meanwhile, Maxine discovers that a foster mother has used her children as nude models in order to advance her photography business. Also, when Todd reassigns Kyle to the coma ward, Kyle realizes that he needs to slow down and spend more time alone with his own thoughts in order to help his recovery.

Rating: 7.4/12

Amy must decide whether to put a teenage girl who is accused of killing her babysitter on trial for murder. Meanwhile, Maxine believes she has stumbled on to a case involving abuse when a photo lab accidentally gives Ignacio photos of a woman with a black eye. Also, Bruce is surprised by the dramatic change in a childhood friend who comes to visit him. Guest starring Timothy Omundson, Adrian Pasdar, Dave Ruby, Jay R. Ferguson, Peter Giles, Cheech Marin, Thomas Vincent Kelly, Byron Jennings, Carolyn McCormick, Dottie Healy, Mark Blum, and Natasha Pavlovich. Written by Karen Hall, directed by Fred Gerber.

Rating: 8.3/13

A simple juvenile theft case in Amy's court is complicated when the defendant's attorney is famous. Amy is still reeling from David's departure. When his father dies, Kyle rethinks his decision to become a doctor when he discovers that his father had a hidden passion. A new "zero tolerance" policy for violence against children has a frustrated Maxine taking two brothers from their mother over a spanking. Guest starring Elisa Donovan as Shelby Crawford, Inny Clemons as Robert Clifton and Jay R. Ferguson as Todd Hooper. Written by Rob Fresco, directed by James Frawley.

Rating: 8.7/14

Amy thinks there's more to the story when a teenage boy runs away from home in the hopes of joining the circus as a gymnast. Meanwhile, Maxine learns that a foster girl under her supervision concocts lies about being sexually assaulted in order to avoid getting into trouble. Maxine has another confrontation with Ignacio's mother (Gina Morelli). Written by Carol Barbee, directed by Helen Shaver.

Rating: 8.8/14

Season finale

Amy's decision to choose therapy over prison for a teenage boy who is believed to be plotting an attack against his school proves to be disastrous. Cable news host Bill O'Reilly guest stars as himself. Both Amy and Maxine have decisions to make about the men in their lives. Written by Karen Hall, directed by James Frawley.

Rating: 8.0/13